Mary J. Blige starred in last year’s musical Rock of Ages, and now she’s stepping into an entirely new role. The Grammy-winning singer plays Dr. Betty Shabazz, civil rights advocate and the wife of Malcolm X, in the Lifetime Original Movie“Betty & Coretta,” which she also executive produced.

The film centers on the real-life stories of Coretta Scott King (Angela Bassett) and Shabazz as they form an unbreakable life-long bond after their husbands’ tragic assassinations.