Watch your back, Iggy Azalea. There’s a new hottest rap star in the world, and she’s singing about diabetes. Ladies and gentleman, meet Mackenzie McKee.
For all of you culture vultures who watch Teen Mom, you may already be familiar with McKee, who “starred” in series three of the MTV show.
The 20-year-old mom-of-two has type 1 diabetes, and to raise diabetes awareness she unleashed “The Sweetest Treat” upon the world.
The song itself is dire. Truly awful. The kind of song that makes you question the meaning of life.
However, in spite of lyrics such as: “There’s also another kind of diabetes called type 1. That’s different to type 2”, an unspecified percentage of profits from the song will reportedly be going towards diabetes research, which is good.
While McKee’s song isn’t that catchy – a blessing, really – her message will hopefully stay with people who are completely unfamiliar with diabetes.
Even basic verses that just about rhyme could potentially inform a generation about living with diabetes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=74&v=Ktyq58sUnKo
“Let’s eat some fruits, let’s eat some veggies, do some exercise. Let’s skip the soda, and sweet teas, even apple pies,” McKee says, and she’s not wrong.
“Being healthy is the sweetest treat”, is the kind of straightforward lyric that could prevent the perpetuation of diabetes myths and condemn people with diabetes to outlandish conversations.
More importantly, McKee could prospectively serve as a role model for young children struggling to adapt to life with diabetes. There aren’t many young diabetic role models, and McKee may have just carved out a niche for herself.
“When you got type 2, got to watch your diet, but you gotta eat to keep your tummy quiet. If your body don’t produce enough insulin, that’s the stuff that you need to get your energy fixins.”
It won’t win any awards, but good on McKee for entering public consciousness for an admirable reason. It may end up helping a vast number of people.
This is not the first time that pop culture and diabetes have clashed, with four American girls’ 2014 cover of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” gaining mainstream media recognition.
Do you think Diabetes.co.uk should release a musical cover? Which song do you think we should go for? Let us know in the comments section below!
Picture: okmagazine.com
