If you’ve heard anything about Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, you’ve likely heard about the stupendous performances fanning the flames of Oscar whispers, or about the unique legacy of this film as the late Chadwick Boseman’s final on-screen role. What you may not know is the true story behind the project, which concerns a once-in-a-generation musician ahead of her time—a woman determined to control her art and her life on her own terms.