Chloe Bailey, Yara Shahidi join Disney EP showcasing Black culture for Juneteenth
The new "Music for the Movement Volume III — Liberated" features some of Disney's brightest and best.
Disney has released its third EP in celebration of Juneteenth. Music for the Movement Volume III — Liberated was released today and features some of the brightest and best of the Disney roster and more.
Featuring a mix of songs and poetry, the extended-play project features Yara Shahidi of Black-ish, Chloe Bailey of Chloe x Halle, rapper Cordae — donating his proceeds to help fund scholarships for HBCU students — veteran MC-actor Common, singer Lucky Daye and jazz sax don Kamasi Washington.
Among its highlights: Shahidi, 21, is heard performing spoken word on “To Be a Black Girl,” while Bailey, minus her sister, is heard offering a beautiful cover of the Nina Simone classic, “Feeling Good.” Grammy Award-nominated singer Daye loans his magic to “Running Blind,” and the more seasoned and Academy Award-winning Common joins the younger Cordae to rhyme on a track called “What’s Life.”
Bailey will perform her song tonight on ABC’s Juneteenth: Together We Triumph — A ‘Soul of a Nation special, marking her first television performance as a soloist.
The Disney Dreamers Academy and ESPN-owned sports website The Undefeated will match Cordae’s contribution to HBCU scholarship funds.
“So many people need the money more than I do,” Cordae said in a press release. “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.”
“Young people are the future of our society and the world,” he continued, “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.”
Some of the proceeds of the entire EP will benefit HBCUs. It is the third of four EPs the Disney Music Group and The Undefeated put on their joint release schedule in support of Black cultural and social justice efforts.
The first project, I Can’t Breathe/Music for the Movement, was released in October 2020 after a year of global unrest due to the coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest following the respective March and May 2000 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In February, the second, Black History Always – Music for the Movement Vol. 2, hit the streets.
The covers of the EP projects have been specially designed by South African illustrator Karabo Poppy.
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