While most hip hop releases seem to come with a parental guidance sticker, book publisher Scholastic is producing a rap CD series especially for kids. Called Hip Kid Hop the series – aimed at 4 – 10 year olds – will consist of storybooks which will come complete with a rap version of the tale on CD and an instrumental track that children can rap over. Publishers hope to gain credibility for the scheme by involving leading hip hop names. In the first two books in the series LL Cool J will rap the story line of ‘And The Winner Is" which follows a young basketball player learning life lessons through the games he plays. Doug E. Fresh will rap ‘Think Again’, a self-penned story of two children of different skin colour who grow to realize how much they have in common. LL Cool J, a father of four, told reporters: "One of the most important things you can do, as a celebrity, is to use your influence to impact kids in a positive way. Kids love music and, through this book and CD, they can learn the valuable lesson of good sportsmanship. Kids also love entertainment and by following along with the words in the book they will learn how to rap while inspiring them to read." The series will launch in the US in September with Shaggy and Common amongst the acts set to take part in future books. There is no word on a UK release for the series.
Jul 2, 2002
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1 min read
Hip hop for kids
Book publisher Scholastic is launching Hip Kid Hop, a series of storybooks with rap CDs for four to ten year olds, with LL Cool J and Doug E. Fresh in the first two titles.