MC Flotus in the White Hizzouse: Michelle Obama raps
Coupling oversized sunglasses with White House swagger, First Lady Michelle Obama makes her hip hop debut in a new rap video, released Thursday, aimed at motivating teens to "go to college."
Created by comedy website CollegeHumor as part of the first lady's "Better Make Room" education initiative, the video teams up Mrs. Obama with Saturday Night Live's Jay Pharoah -- known for his spot-on President Obama impressions on the late-night variety show -- in a true melding of musical talent.
Watch it in full here:
The shots are largely a montage of Pharoah rapping and cavorting around the White House grounds and encouraging students to "reach high and cash checks, fill your head with knowledge."
But in one solo moment spitting rhymes, Mrs. Obama answers Pharoah's appeal to "help me out FLOTUS."
"South Side Chicago, we all know we had to do overtime every night to make it tomorrow, and everyone could really make their dream true," the first lady raps, recalling her own biography to push the benefits of higher education (she holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard). "Hey, kid, listenin' in Michigan, that could be you!"
The "Better Make Room" campaign, part of Mrs. Obama's Reach Higher initiative addressing low college graduation rates, started in October and targets 14- to 19-year old students.
According to a White House statement, Better Make Room is meant to "celebrate education, change the national conversation, and reach students directly where they are and give them a space to create content while also navigating the college-going process."