Kelis has mixed her love of food and music into her brand for quite some time now. Some could say it goes all the way back to her 2003 album Tasty (and its hit single "Milkshake"), though it was probably most prominent with 2014's FOOD. In 2022, she's taking it even further as she's thrown her talents into brand campaigns. We'd rather forget her Kraft Singles collab "Square It" (it was fun, but not quite up to her standard), but she's on to something with her song "Feed Them" for Daily Harvest's Eat The Solution campaign.
One of the reasons that "Feed Them" works is because it shirks the gimmicky marketing of it all, instead opting for a legit song that speaks to the goodness that Mother Nature offers us all. It also helps that the song is delivered over a groove that's reminiscent of her early work — right down to groovy, Neptunes-inspired production.
Lyrically, it's also a gem. Kelis talks about the wisdom that her memaw imparted about the importance of working with the earth (including eating more naturally derived products and making sure to take care of the earth that they come from). "She said teach them / It will feed them / Plant the seeds they can believe in / Keep on breathin'," she sings on the chorus. "Play the beat loud / On the bass drum / Spread the word / It's our world / We must stand now."
The short song's video — filmed at the singer's own farm — also gives us a beautifully radiant Kelis rocking ruby red tresses and glowing colors as she and her co-stars draw attention to the fruits and vegetables that make our diets and the world go 'round.
"Feed Them" features on Daily Harvest's Eat The Solution EP, a compilation the brand made in honor of Earth Month. The set also features three other songs from singer-songwriters Kyla Imani, Shuba and Damoyee geared toward showing how food can help solve the climate crisis and improve the health of people worldwide.
It's a cause that Kelis believes in, with the singer saying in a statement for Daily Harvest, "If we're able to plant these little seeds, give people the information and let them see how feasible and tangible eating the solution really is, that’s the first step towards change."
You can watch the video for "Feed Them" when you press play and hear the song alongside others from the Eat The Solution EP in the audio stream below.
