“Dedicated to the memory of Miss Afeni Shakur and all the strong black women around the world.” These were the opening lines shared by Rapsody during her performance of her single “Afeni” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. After sharing this remark, a sample from Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up” played alongside the Momma’s Boy Band and PJ Morton playing the piano in the background. “Afeni” is the final track on Rapsody’s most recent album, Eve. Her stage presence on The Tonight Show is powerful while giving a rendition of the track she leans into the strength within the lyrics which addressed black men specifically needing to respect black women.

Rapsody most recently called out the Recording Academy for snubbing Eve, the expressive release was dedicated to female titans throughout history. During her performance she also shared, “Right now, we gonna take it to the West Coast in memory of Tupac Shakur, Nipsey Hussle, and the legendary Kobe Bryant.”

Her moving performance is indefinitely proof that plans to keep rising and not be discouraged for not being nominated for an Academy Award. Other significant staples on Eve besides “Afeni” included “Hatsheput” featuring Queen Latifah, “Nina,” and “Ibtihaj” with D’Angelo and GZA.

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