In October 2021, some three million children in 5,000 schools across New York were educated about the dangers of sugary snacks by a public health campaign they were actually likely to listen to: “Lil Sugar—Master of Disguise.” The educational rap video and associated material, created by the nonprofit group Hip Hop Public Health, features hip-hop legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC as the voice of Lil Sugar, who warns children that sugar can have more than 150 different names.
“Sneak up in your body just to get you hooked; I keep changing my name to get you to look,” raps Lil Sugar. “I give you diabetes from the treats and all the sweeties; I keep you being greedy, make you think you really need me.”
The Lil Sugar campaign was awarded the Health Grand Prix for Good in June at the Cannes Lions festival in France. It is just one of many efforts created by Hip Hop Public Health over the last 15 years to raise public awareness about health, deepen health literacy, and inspire health behavior change, thanks to founder and board chairman Olajide Williams, MD.
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Anothony Shih MD