Maya Rudolph, the hilarious actress and comedian known for her 10 years on “Saturday Night Live” with impersonation of Beyonce’, Oprah Winfrey and more recently, her hilarious take on former NAACP chapter president Rachel Dezell, was recently the keynote speaker for her alma mater, Tulane University. The funny mother of four and daughter of legendary singer Minnie Riperton shares what she learned from life and her mom.
On embarking on adult life:
“From this day forward the world is filled with endless possibilities. You’re young, you’re in your twenties. This is a great day for all of you. Except for those of you leaving college with any student loan debt. I don’t know what to say to you. I hope you win the lottery.”
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On how to live a good life:
“So hold on to your old friends. Kiss your Mama. Admit what your dreams are. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know what you’re gonna do tomorrow. But work hard and don’t be lazy. And put away your damn phone once in a while. And be nice to jerks because we still don’t know the criteria for getting into heaven yet.”
On what she’d say to her 21-year-old self:
“If I could give my 21-year-old self any advice it would be take as many bikini photos as you can now because your body is smokin’ hot. And it will not be this bangin’ after childbirth.”
Maya’s mom, Minnie died at 31 in 1979. The epitaph on Minnie’s headstone in an LA cemetery is the opening line from her popular song: “Lovin’ you is easy ’cause you’re beautiful.”
The 1975 hit song was composed by Minnie and husband Richard Rudolph as a lullaby to their daughter, Maya when she was a baby. Showcasing Minnie’s five-octave vocal range, “Lovin’ You” was the singer’s most famous song.
According to Wikipedia, Minnie sang “Maya, Maya, Maya” toward the end of an unedited version of the chart-topping tune. When the soul singer was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told that she had about six months to live, she included her son, Marc (whose nickname is Ringo), when she sang “Lovin’ You” in her last concert performances: “Maya, Maya, Ringo, Maya.”
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“It’s so nice, especially being on the receiving end as the child of that [song tribute],” Maya said in a recent interview.
In remembrance of the late great Ripperton, Maya and others put together a 10K race to raise money for breast cancer. “Every year here in LA on or around my Mom’s birthday we have a run that raises money for breast cancer research and helps to raise awareness in the black community as well as in anyone else who shows up,” explains Rudolph. “It’s fun. And people can find other Minnie Riperton fans there as well as young and old people or people who just love to run.”
