Hip Hop Album Made Exclusively For Kids

With an album cover containing characters reminiscent of the animation in "The Boondocks," this thoroughly enjoyable children's hip-hop album was created by a former teacher and a group of hip-hop industry professionals, as a vehicle to share positive messages with kids through rap music.

MeeWee: Hip-Hop for Kids features a collection of 14 energetic and uplifting songs that have been tested extensively (with overwhelmingly positive responses) in elementary schools and among students from kindergarten to sixth grade.

MeeWee bridges the gap between "urban" entertainment and children's entertainment, creating music that is crosses the traditional lines of pop culture and is accessible to a broad age range.

The album opens with the fantastic and fast-paced "MeeWee Chant." Songs such as "Jumping Jacks," and "Kung Foo Kid" encourage guided movement with their lyrics and fast beats. Were it not for the lyrics, listeners could not distinguish "Planet Brooklyn" or "Extra Cheese" from some of today's Hip-Hop and R & B favorites. "So Much Love to Give," "Sounds Like Music," and "I Need a Hug" (My personal favorite!) give a nod to R&B and Hip-Hop trends in the 60s, 80s, and 90s, respectively.

I personally found "Us Bus," "Me and My Guitar," and "Keyvo" to be somewhat grating departures from Hip-Hop. But what those songs lacked was far made up for in the two most melodic and touching tracks:"I Can Do Anything" (featuring Divinity Roxx), and "Driftee McCloud."

MeeWee:Hip-Hop for Kids was the brainstorm of Daniel Klein and Perry Landesberg.

Landesberg is co-producer of The Lyricist Lounge CD series and creator of MTV's "Lyricist Lounge" TV Show. (Please note: "Lyricist Lounge" is a little like "In Loving Color" with rap and rhyme, and is not appropriate for young children.) His past projects have involved artists such as De La Soul, Black-Eyed Peas, The Roots, Erykah Badu, and Mos Def.

Meewee's album features Divinity (long-time collaborator and bassist for Beyonce Knowles), Keith Middleton (of STOMP), and Michael Viera (star of MTV's "Lyricist Lounge" show.)

In conjunction with the album's release, MeeWee is offering free downloads for teachers, camp counselors, and dance instructors through their website. Use the songs for guided movement, or to encourage children to create their own raps, rhymes, and dances.

The album is available for purchase through online retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic. For samples of MeeWee music, information about the MeeWee characters, and MeeWee merchandise, visit http://www.meewee.com/.