Jill Scott's Powerful Rendition Of Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit' Is A Must Watch

Jill Scott channels Lady Day in this chilling performance.

On November 20, A&E aired the Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America. The benefit concert highlighted issues of racial inequality and raised money for civil rights activism.

Some of the biggest stars in music participated in the concert, such as Nicki Minaj, and Pharrell Williams. But one of the standout performances of the evening was Jill Scott's rendition of Billie Holiday's haunting song "Strange Fruit."

The lyrics describe the hanging bodies of black men killed by lynch mobs, and their corpses left swaying in the trees. In 2013, Kanye West sampled the song for "Blood on the Leaves" from his album Yeezus, but Scott's version keeps the mood of original song.

Holiday's words still resonate given the recent deaths of black men and women at the hands of police violence, which can be interpreted as modern day lynchings.

Watch Scott's powerful and somber performance below:

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