First lady Michelle Obama will release a hip-hop album next month in conjunction with the Partnership for a Healthier America and Hip Hop Public Health to inspire youths to get their bodies in motion.
While she won’t be lending any vocals to the album, which is titled “Songs for a Healthier America,” a number of other major names in hip-hop have, including Doug E. Fresh, Jordin Sparks, Ashanti, and Matisyahu.
The full 19-song album will be released on Sept. 30, according to U.S. News. It features tracks such as “U R What You Eat” (featuring Salad Bar, Matisyahu, Travis Barker, and Ariana Grande), “Hip Hop LEAN” (featuring Artie Green), and “We Like Vegetables” (featuring Los Barkers!).
“This album is about more than just a great message and it’s about more than great music,” said PHA’s chief marketing officer Drew Nannis in a statement this summer. “It’s about making the healthy choice the easy choice.”
The first single from the album, “Everybody,” debuted in June on The Dr. Oz Show.
You can listen to previews of each song from the album here. As a not-so-secret NBA fan, I’m pretty partial to Track 11, “Pass the Rock,” which features New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert.
According to MSNBC.com, the organizations behind the album hope to debut 10 music videos by the summer of 2014. U.S. News reports that those music videos will then be distributed to schools across the nation, starting with 40 schools in New York City.
