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(CNN) - Among those mourning last Thursday for George Floyd at the Frank J. Lindquist Shrine at North Central University in Minneapolis was a familiar face, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who felt he needed to be there to show him to our future generation, and to Floyd's family, who are dedicated to fighting for racial equality.
"I think what struck me the most [being there] was being able to see his family [Floyd's] and listen to his family members," Ludacris told CNN. “Everything returns for the new generation. And that's what I learned from that is that we must make sure that your children and all children around the world have a better world to live in when they reach our age. ”
Before Floyd's tragic death, Ludacris had already been working to help eliminate racial bias with a new media platform called Kid Nation. Developed with business partner Sandy Lal, Kid Nation aims to teach children about current events, primarily through music.
The duo are planning a full launch of the platform for the fall, but have moved forward with the release of two new songs linked to current events.
They collaborated with various groups of children, who sing the songs, while Ludacris composed the lyrics and melodies.
"This is a whole new, futuristic version of children's music and entertainment," he says, adding: "I feel like the landscape is very dated, it's the best word I could use in terms of what's available to children's music in this moment. And I think overall, we have a lot of music for adults that kids love to listen to, but there isn't enough music for kids that adults like to listen to too.
The two songs, “Get Along,” on racial unity, and “Stay Clean,” on hygiene, come at a time when there is much more home schooling and we need to raise awareness of racial equality, our safety and children's health, Ludracis said.
"Because we are not only at the top of the covid-19, but we are also in that position of a racial division that is beginning to make a small and positive change, and we want to help with that change," he said, adding that the first song to be released is "Get Along".
We are trying to guarantee the future of children everywhere, of all races and ethnicities, because we feel that love is the answer. It will always be love. Love triumphs over hate, "he added.
Before writing the songs, Ludacris spoke to groups of children "trying to hear his voice and translate that voice" to adults. She took their concerns and created lyrics and melodies that convey childlike innocence. "That's kind of like the underlying message of what this whole platform is going to be about, reminding people of that purity," he says. "And once you remember that purity, you can erase and eradicate many of the hateful thoughts that occur in people's minds."
"I wish I could change the world between you and me / I wish I could make the whole world color blind," says the lyrics for "Get Along."
"Stay Clean" will be released soon, and according to Ludacris, the theme has a humorous hook that repeats, "Wash your hands, wash your hands right after rinsing / brushing your teeth right after eating."
"You'd be amazed at the impact these songs have," he says.
Ludacris
