Maya Angelou's Life in Music

Remembering the late poet's contributions.

Maya Angelou's Life in Music - Today we mourn the loss of one of the greatest poets of all time and to celebrate her memory, BET takes a look at Dr. Maya Angelou's life in music, as she was an inspiration, collaborator and grandmother-like figure to many performers and artists. Read on for a few of her contributions in the world of music. — Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA) (Photo: AP Photo/File)

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Maya Angelou's Life in Music - Today we mourn the loss of one of the greatest poets of all time and to celebrate her memory, BET takes a look at Dr. Maya Angelou's life in music, as she was an inspiration, collaborator and grandmother-like figure to many performers and artists. Read on for a few of her contributions in the world of music. — Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA) (Photo: AP Photo/File)

Miss Calypso - Unbeknownst to many, Dr. Angelou released a calypso album in 1957 at the age of 29, Miss Calypso. Reissued on CD in 1996, the project featured pop and world influences as well as writing from the future poet and included inspirational tales like "Run Joe," about a man running from the police. (Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images)

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Miss Calypso - Unbeknownst to many, Dr. Angelou released a calypso album in 1957 at the age of 29, Miss Calypso. Reissued on CD in 1996, the project featured pop and world influences as well as writing from the future poet and included inspirational tales like "Run Joe," about a man running from the police. (Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images)

Grammy Winner - Maya Angelou racked up numerous awards and honors throughout her life and three of those include Grammys. In 1993 and 1995, she won Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Album for her projects On the Pulse of Morning and Phenomenal Woman. In 2002, she won Best Spoken Word Album for A Song Flung Up to Heaven.(Photo: Random House)

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Grammy Winner - Maya Angelou racked up numerous awards and honors throughout her life and three of those include Grammys. In 1993 and 1995, she won Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Album for her projects On the Pulse of Morning and Phenomenal Woman. In 2002, she won Best Spoken Word Album for A Song Flung Up to Heaven.(Photo: Random House)

A Caged Bird Sings - Alicia Keys definitely drew from Maya Angelou when she released her debut, Songs in A Minor, in 2001. One of the album’s tracks, “Caged Bird,” is a reworking of Maya’s poem of the same name. The song and the poem describe how the entrapped creature turns to music to find solace. (Photo: Timothy Hiatt/FilmMagic)

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A Caged Bird Sings - Alicia Keys definitely drew from Maya Angelou when she released her debut, Songs in A Minor, in 2001. One of the album’s tracks, “Caged Bird,” is a reworking of Maya’s poem of the same name. The song and the poem describe how the entrapped creature turns to music to find solace. (Photo: Timothy Hiatt/FilmMagic)

A Phenomenal Woman - Blues singer Ruthie Foster paid tribute to Maya Angelou in 2007 when she turned the poet’s “Phenomenal Woman” into a hit song. Further inspired by Dr. Angelou, she titled her fifth album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. (Photos from Left: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, E. Neitzel/WireImage)

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A Phenomenal Woman - Blues singer Ruthie Foster paid tribute to Maya Angelou in 2007 when she turned the poet’s “Phenomenal Woman” into a hit song. Further inspired by Dr. Angelou, she titled her fifth album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. (Photos from Left: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, E. Neitzel/WireImage)

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Maya Angelou: The Songwriter - In 1988, soul balladeer Roberta Flack enlisted the help of Maya Angelou for her album Oasis. Maya co-wrote the single “And So It Goes” along with Roberta and Barry Miles. (Photos from Left: Keystone/Getty Images, Jack Sotomayor/New York Times Co./Getty Images)

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Maya Angelou: The Songwriter - In 1988, soul balladeer Roberta Flack enlisted the help of Maya Angelou for her album Oasis. Maya co-wrote the single “And So It Goes” along with Roberta and Barry Miles. (Photos from Left: Keystone/Getty Images, Jack Sotomayor/New York Times Co./Getty Images)

Maya's Been Found - Maya Angelou made another impact on music in 1996 when she co-starred on Ashford & Simpson’s R&B nugget Been Found. Maya’s poetry was weaved throughout every song on the album as the singing duo laid their harmonies. (Photo: Ichiban/Ryko Records)

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Maya's Been Found - Maya Angelou made another impact on music in 1996 when she co-starred on Ashford & Simpson’s R&B nugget Been Found. Maya’s poetry was weaved throughout every song on the album as the singing duo laid their harmonies. (Photo: Ichiban/Ryko Records)

Photo By Photo: Ichiban/Ryko Records

"Hey Mama" - Kanye West knew the brilliance and beauty of Dr. Angelou when he recorded "Hey Mama" in 2005 for his sophomore album Late Registration. On the track Yeezy dedicated to his mother, he tells her, "Can’t you see, you’re like a book of poetry/Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, turn one page and there's my mommy."Ye also has excerpts from one of Dr. Angelou’s poems tattooed on his arm. (Photos from Left: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

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"Hey Mama" - Kanye West knew the brilliance and beauty of Dr. Angelou when he recorded "Hey Mama" in 2005 for his sophomore album Late Registration. On the track Yeezy dedicated to his mother, he tells her, "Can’t you see, you’re like a book of poetry/Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, turn one page and there's my mommy."Ye also has excerpts from one of Dr. Angelou’s poems tattooed on his arm. (Photos from Left: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Artistic Integrity - Rappers are poets and many were inspired by Dr. Angelou. In 2008, while still on his rise, Wale released his project The Mixtape About Nothing, which featured the introspective cut “The Artistic Integrity.” In the song, the MMG MC cites Maya as a mentor, "A lion in form, Matt Leinhart when firing the ball/Pause, Maya Angelou spawn, abandoned and raised by Nas/Raised by the sharks but I'm swimming with the prawns/I found my own lane, meet Mr. Folarin."Now we know where his poetic skills come from.(Photos from left: Moses Robinson/Getty Images for BET, Ken Charnock/Getty Images)

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Artistic Integrity - Rappers are poets and many were inspired by Dr. Angelou. In 2008, while still on his rise, Wale released his project The Mixtape About Nothing, which featured the introspective cut “The Artistic Integrity.” In the song, the MMG MC cites Maya as a mentor, "A lion in form, Matt Leinhart when firing the ball/Pause, Maya Angelou spawn, abandoned and raised by Nas/Raised by the sharks but I'm swimming with the prawns/I found my own lane, meet Mr. Folarin."Now we know where his poetic skills come from.(Photos from left: Moses Robinson/Getty Images for BET, Ken Charnock/Getty Images)

Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Kendrick Lamar rocked critics and listeners alike with the release of his debut album good kid, m.A.A.d. city, which went platinum and is considered a classic in many circles. (Photo: Interscope Records)

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Dying of Thirst - Dr. Maya Angelou shared her wisdom on Kendrick Lamar's modern classic good kid, m.A.A.d city. Maya gives her jewels as a church lady on the song "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst," encouraging young gang bangers to turn their lives around and to begin living righteous. The fusion of her words with Kendrick's introspective track proves that great poets think alike. 

Photo By Interscope Records

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Still I Rise - In 1993, Maya appeared in the film Poetic Justice with Tupac Shakur and had a heart-to-heart with the MC, which brought him to tears after she checked him on some improper language and behavior. Her impact was definitely felt as his posthumous group album with The Outlawz was entitled Still I Rise, taking a page from Maya's famous poem of the same name.(Photos from Left: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Edward A. Hausner/New York Times/Getty Images)

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Still I Rise - In 1993, Maya appeared in the film Poetic Justice with Tupac Shakur and had a heart-to-heart with the MC, which brought him to tears after she checked him on some improper language and behavior. Her impact was definitely felt as his posthumous group album with The Outlawz was entitled Still I Rise, taking a page from Maya's famous poem of the same name.(Photos from Left: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Edward A. Hausner/New York Times/Getty Images)

The Dreamer and the Believer  - In 2011, Maya Angelou blessed Common as she dropped a few poetic bars on his cut “The Dreamer,” from the Chi-town MC’s ninth album The Dreamer/The Believer. Maya gave an inspiring performance chronicling the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, emphasizing how Black folks as a people keep rising despite adversity and are never afraid to dream and turn those dreams into a better existence.Common even brought her out for a few performances and he and Dr. Angelou had a discussion on his prominent use of the N-word, which many Black people have issues with.(Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images)

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The Dreamer and the Believer  - In 2011, Maya Angelou blessed Common as she dropped a few poetic bars on his cut “The Dreamer,” from the Chi-town MC’s ninth album The Dreamer/The Believer. Maya gave an inspiring performance chronicling the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, emphasizing how Black folks as a people keep rising despite adversity and are never afraid to dream and turn those dreams into a better existence.Common even brought her out for a few performances and he and Dr. Angelou had a discussion on his prominent use of the N-word, which many Black people have issues with.(Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images)