Shahidi (left): Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Can you imagine an EP featuring Grownish actor and activist Yara Shahidi, Chloe Bailey, one half of Chloe x Halle, and rapper YBN Cordae? Well, Disney has made our wildest dreams come true with its upcoming album to commemorate Juneteenth and delve into the Black experience through the lens of Black Gen Z’s premiere talent.
Music for the Movement Volume III – Liberated releases today, June 18, and is the third iteration in Disney’s four-part series of EPs honoring Black lives and the enduring social justice movement, according to Associated Press reports. Bailey will cover Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” while Shahidi’s track will recite an ode to Black girlhood in a spoken word titled “To Be A Black Girl.”
Cordae partners with none other than poet and emcee Common for a record titled, “What’s Life.” The 23-year-old is donating his album proceeds to fund scholarships for students from underrepresented communities attending HBCUs. “So many people need the money more than I do. I feel as though when you’re in such a blessed position, it’s important to pay that forward to be a blessing to others. It’s especially important to me to invest in our youth and the future,” Cordae, who is the boyfriend of tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, said in a statement. He continued, “Young people are the future of our society and the world, so we must do all we can to ensure they are properly positioned to succeed. If I can spark the brain of a few future world leaders and geniuses, I’ll die a happy man.” Disney Dreamers Academy and The Undefeated have agreed to match his donation.
The first volume, titled I Can’t Breathe/Music for the Movement, released last October as reverential compilation of songs for the summer movement that rocked the globe. Doubling a as call to action for election season, the album featured songs by Rapsody, Bilal, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Alex Isley, Jensen McRae and Keedron Bryant.
Black History Always — Music for the Movement Vol. 2 was released in February to commemorate Black History Month and included features from Tinashe, Freddie Gibbs, Tobe Nwigwe, and Brent Faiyaz. The series is a collaboration between Disney Music Group and ESPN’s platform for sports and culture, The Undefeated.
