Duke women's basketball player launches rap career to inspire change
Posted July 1, 2020 8:46 p.m. EDT
Updated July 1, 2020 9:00 p.m. EDT
Durham, N.C. — Duke women’s basketball player Mikayla Boykin has picked up a new hobby during this pandemic, using her voice as a music artist to call for change.
"I'm using (rap) as my voice to speak out on social injustice, police brutality, things like that," Boykin said. "Something that I use now to bring this awareness to my community and around the world."
The rising senior says she’s been rapping since high school, but after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, she wanted to use her art as a message.
"I feel like change is going to come and it's going to come sooner rather than later," Boykin said.
A producer she knows assembled Boykin and three other rappers for a song called “The Movement.” Since the video has been released online, Boykin says her teammates and friends have given her positive feedback, and coach Joanne P. McCallie was thrilled to hear her music.
"The first thing she said was, 'Oh wow I'm sharing this, I need to get this out there'," Boykin said.
The Clinton native said she’s been personally touched by police brutality. She said she lost a cousin due to an altercation with police in Maryland. She declined to give her cousin's name.
"You don't really understand until it's someone that you know and have a personal relationship with, so that was a different feeling for me," Boykin said.
The guard added she’s working on releasing an EP and wants to pursue professional careers in both music and basketball.
