Nicki Minaj Reading Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ Is Like Watching the Torch of Badassery Getting Passed

Wednesday night, A&E hosted Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America, which brought together a number of celebrities, including John Legend, Pink, Sia, Miguel, Morgan Freeman, and others, to spread awareness of racial injustice and raise money for United Way Worldwide. Among the many speakers and guests was Nicki Minaj, who read Maya Angelou’s classic 1978 poem “Still I Rise.” It’s not hard to read the contemporary resonance into the poem, and it’s the perfect poem for Minaj to recite: defiant, powerful, and proud. The two-hour concert airs in full on November 20 at 8 p.m. EST on A&E.

Nicki Minaj Reads Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’