Angela Bassett Really Did ~The Thing~ And Here's 7 Times That Prove It

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We should all know the iconic Angela Bassett.

  FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

And if you watched the BAFTAs or have been on the internet at all anytime in the last month, you should know about Ariana DeBose's almost equally iconic performance.

If for some reason this performance hasn't been permanently seared into your memory, Grammy-winner Ariana DeBose performed the opening number at the 2023 BAFTA Awards and went viral for her camp performance.

If for some reason this performance hasn't been permanently seared into your memory, Grammy-winner Ariana DeBose performed the opening number at the 2023 BAFTA Awards and went viral for her camp performance.

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA / Getty Images for BAFTA / Via Getty Images

DeBose's rap name-dropped a bunch of actors in attendance, but there was one line that had everyone in a chokehold

So to commemorate this performance in pop culture history, here are seven times Angela Bassett did ~the thing.~

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 25: Angela Bassett attends Black Girls Rock 2019 Hosted By Niecy Nash at NJPAC on August 25, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey
Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images for BET / Via Wire Image

1.When she played the perfect Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It?.

screencap of Angela performing as Tina Turner in the movie

Described as being the most challenging role of her career, Angela Bassett's portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic earned her multiple awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama.

Disney

2.When she graduated from Yale with a B.A. in African-American Studies in 1980, then later got a Master of Fine Arts from Yale in 1983.

Actress Angela Bassett speaks during the Morehouse College 135th Commencement at Morehouse College on May 19, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia

Oh yeah, and Angela Bassett also has three honorary doctorates from Yale, Morehouse College, and Old Dominion University. Talk about being the queen of the girl bosses.

Marcus Ingram / Getty Images

3.When she founded Bassett Vance Productions to emphasize and give light to Black stories.

photo of Angela Bassett with Courtney Vance

In 2020, Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, created Bassett Vance Productions to find and develop stories emphasizing BIPOC stories and voices. The company is partnered with ViacomCBS and is still actively growing and evolving!

MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

4.When she gave a breathtaking performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

I'm literally still not over Angela Bassett's performance, so, no, I will not be expanding. Let's just say she's the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar for a Marvel movie role. This performance is the thing Ariana DeBose was referring to in her song.

I'm literally still not over Angela Bassett's performance, so, no, I will not be expanding. Let's just say she's the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar for a Marvel movie role. This performance is the thing Ariana DeBose was referring to in her song.

Marvel Studios/Disney

5.Okay, fine, I'll expand a little bit. Whenever Angela Bassett was onscreen in Black Panther, it was a major serve

Angela Basset in

Name a more powerful Marvel matriarch. You can't.

Marvel Studios/Disney, Marvel Studios

6.When Keke Palmer and Angela Bassett gave us an Akeelah and the Bee reunion.

Keke Palmer and Angela Bassett sitting down together and chatting

C-R-Y-I-N-G. I could watch hours of them talking, or even a sequel...

Vanity Fair / Via youtube.com

7.And when she reached out to Ariana DeBose after the BAFTAs to make sure she was okay.

Angela Bassett and Ariana DeBose attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 Dinner at the Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England

Keep doing ~the thing,~ Angela!

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 15: Angela Bassett attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic via Getty Images