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Maya Angelou’s Words Come to Life in 'Harlem Hopscotch' Music Video

Lead single off Caged Bird Songs album gets the visual treatment.

The words of the late Dr. Maya Angelou come to life in the official music video for “Harlem Hopscotch” off the poet’s posthumous album, Caged Bird Songs.

Directed by Emmy Award-winning duo Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo, the video uses dance to interpret Dr. Angelou’s inspirational poem about persevering through life’s challenges. It premiered on Oprah.com Tuesday (Dec. 23) and was shot on the streets of Harlem and different locations around L.A. Zendaya, Alfonso Ribeiro and dancer Derek Hough make guest appearances.

“Harlem Hopscotch” is the lead single from Caged Bird Songs, produced by RoccStar and Shawn Rivera of the R&B group AZ Yet. The 13-track album (named after Angelou’s 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) pairs the celebrated writer’s poetry with hip hop, R&B, blues and jazz beats. 

Caged Bird Songs was released last month. 

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(Photo: Mitchell Gerber/Corbis)

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