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CULTURE

Rapping For Earth: Star-Studded New Rap is About Saving the Earth

YouTube screenshot from Lil Dicky's new song about global warming.
YouTube screenshot from Lil Dicky's new song about global warming.

The song doesn’t just talk about nature—it also touches on different ethnicities and nationalities, urging for peace and harmony.

Released on April 19 in anticipation for Earth Day, rapper Lil Dicky’s music video about saving the Earth has already garnered 46 million views on YouTube.

The Jewish-American rapper and comedian rose to prominence with the music video of his song “Ex-Boyfriend”, which went viral in 2013. Lil Dicky strikes again with his new song “Earth”, featuring the contributions of countless celebrities—mostly recording artists, but also some actors including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Shawn Mendes, Lil Yachty, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Adam Levine, Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, Adam Levine, Sia, Zac Brown, the Backstreet Boys and Ed Sheeran and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The environmentally-themed video starts in Los Angeles, California, arguably one of the hotbeds of urban pollution and natural disasters. A voiceover describes nearby wildfires and skyrocketing temperatures in dense urban centers.

Lil Dicky appears and argues with some young boys on a city street, then walks off as one boy remains. He picks up a book amidst fallen garbage on the city street and opens it. A world of animation pops up from the pages, with Lil Dicky’s voice singing “We love the Earth… it is our planet.”

The video then swoops down into various nature scenes, where a slew of celebrities make cameos—mostly as animals. Humor is employed, including a zebra (voiced by Ariana Grande) that sings to the camera: “I’m a zebra/No one knows what I do/But I look pretty cool/Am I white or black?”

Despite the kid-friendly animation of the video, the rapper seems to be aiming for a much broader audience, even including a certain plant that says: “I’m a marijuana plant/I can get you f—ked up!”

The song doesn’t just talk about nature—it also touches on different ethnicities and nationalities, urging for peace and harmony. It describes the joys and pleasures that we may take for granted on Earth as well.

Towards the end, it makes a case against climate change denial: “I mean, there’s so many people out here who don’t think Global Warming’s a real thing/You know?/We gotta save this planet/We’re being stupid.”

Lastly, the video ends with Lil Dicky speaking about how scientists say we have around twelve years to change this environmental crisis around and instructs us to visit the website: Welovethearth.org.

The website offers clear-cut ways to make a difference for our planet, including signing petitions to protect nature, determining your carbon footprint, or registering to vote as a means to make your voice be heard.

Lil Dicky himself decided to write this new song after recently learning about environmental issues.  He had initially just wanted to make a song about animals with cameos from celebrities playing them, but after deciding that the proceeds should go to charities involving the environment, the rapper did more research and expanded his song to include environmental themes.

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 since 1970, to promote environmental protection.

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