Hip-Hop is nothing more than musical poetry and before the culture became a multi-billionaire empire, we only historical figures to look up to and draw inspiration from.
The world lost one of those figures today when Maya Angelou passed away at the tenured age of 86.
Naturally, given her eternal wisdom and uncanny ability to always write quotes that were life changing, the entire world had to pay their respects. Dr. Angelou interacted with countless celebrities through many decades but it was Oprah Winfrey who channeled her energy the brightest. “She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life,” Winfrey told the Associated Press. “The world knows her as a poet but at the heart of her, she was a teacher. ‘When you learn, teach. When you get, give’ is one of my best lessons from her.”
Although her impact was mostly secondhand, her talents as writer and forward-thinker impacted rappers of all sects of generations and plenty of them–from Common to Soulja Boy–took time out of their day to pay their respects.
Enter the gallery to see the countless MCs that did so, although it should be noted that no such announcements came from the 2014 XXL Freshmen. Is that a cause of concern for the current state of rap? Maya Angelou’s death is surely a moment to educate fans and followers alike on how words can affect society, no?
Let us know in the comment section below.
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