Michelle Obama can pretty much get away with anything. Remember how good she made all those “mom dances” look on Jimmy Fallon? But she might have gone too far with her latest endeavor for the Let’s Move! campaign: a hip-hop album called Songs for a Healthier America. It features musicians like Matisyahu, Ariana Grande, and Travis Barker (under the band name Salad Bar) singing pro-healthy-living songs like “U R What You Eat.” That lineup alone demands a collective “Mooooooom!” and a big eye roll — the kind of response you reserve for your own mom when she starts raising the roof or something. That’s what this feels like. Your mom. Raising the roof.
The concept is not bad. By the School House Rock school of thought, if you write catchy songs and have them performed by musicians kids love, your message will hit home. The formula has worked for the Let’s Move! campaign before. The Daily Beast points out that Beyoncé previously recorded a music video for the campaign, which naturally made exercise and anti-obesity efforts the coolest. But with this compilation, MObama didn’t quite garner the A-list recording roster we’ve come to associate with the Obamas. The last time I checked, kids were not listening to Monifah (“Veggie Luv”) or Ashanti. In fact, Monifah singing about lettuce might make children really afraid of vegetables in the future.
Moms: They mean so well.