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Guy turns Dr. Seuss books into awesome rap songs with superhuman accuracy

His "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?" has over 36 million views. It's genuinely that impressive.

@jordansimons4/TikTok

Jordan Simons' Dr. Seuss raps are next level.

Dr. Seuss' early books predate rap music by more than three decades, but anyone who has read the rhythmic "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" or the tongue-twisting "Fox in Socks"—or any of Seuss's delightful rhymes, really—can instantly see the connection between the two.

In fact, my daughter was just asking me the other day if anyone had made Dr. Seuss books into rap songs, and I told her about a man I wrote about a few years ago, Wes Tank, who went viral for putting Dr. Seuss rhymes to smooth Dr. Dre beats.

But now there's a new Seuss rapper who goes in a slightly different direction than Tank, hearkening to the fast rap stylings of Eminem and Busta Rhymes. Jordan Simons has garnered a following of 23 million TikTok users, simply by rapping Dr. Seuss books.

Well, "simply" is a bit of an understatement.

Like, the ABCs are simple, right? Dr. Seuss made a fun little book that helps familiarize kids with the sounds of the alphabet, but it's never sounded like this:

@jordansimons4

Rappin “Dr. Seuss’s ABC” by Dr. Seuss! #rappinrhymebooks #DrSeuss #FYP #fyp #foryourpage #rap #bars

Right?!?

I read "Fox in Sox" so many times to my kids over the years, I have the whole book memorized. And in my wildest dreams, I could never do this:

@jordansimons4

(Part 1/2) Rappin “Fox in Socks” by Dr. Seuss! #rappinrhymebooks #DrSeuss #fyp #foryourpage #rap #bars

Part 2 is just as impressive. (The tweetle beetle battle part has always been my favorite to read.)

How about "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"? I read that so many times as a child, I had it memorized before I had my own kids. And still, could I ever pull off this feat? Nope.

@jordansimons4

Rapping “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss #RappinRhymeBooks #DrSeuss #rap #bars #fyp #foryourpage

Simons' most popular video to date was his rapping of "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you?" It may not be as well known as some of Seuss' other books, but when you see it you'll see why it's been watched more than 36 million times.

@jordansimons4

(REPOST) Rappin “Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?” By Dr. Seuss ! #rappinrhymebooks #DrSeuss #fyp #foryourpage #rap #bars

You can follow Jordan Simons on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.


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dr. seuss rap

When a fan made sexist comments, this rapper taught him an important lesson.

Benjamin Coyle-Larner, aka Loyle Carner, is a rapper from South London whose music is often described as confessional, vulnerable, and sensitive.

He raps about his family, grief, and handling the new responsibilities of adulthood. If you're in the U.S., you may not know much about his music, but after an admirable move at one of his concerts, his glowing reputation may precede him.

[rebelmouse-image 19532202 dam="1" original_size="750x421" caption="Loyle Carner at Field Day 2017. Photo by John Lubbock/Flickr." expand=1]Loyle Carner at Field Day 2017. Photo by John Lubbock/Flickr.

Before he kicked off a recent performance, Carner took the time on-stage to call out a sexist heckler.

Carner's opening act, a duo of women, Elisa and Srigala, had been harassed by a male audience member during a show on Oct. 9, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.

Before Carner started his set, he approached the audience and asked them to point out the man responsible for the sexual harassment.

All GIFs via ashleyshite/Twitter.

And Carner quickly told the fan to leave the show.

He even pointed out the perpetrator to security to make sure he left.

The fan responsible was escorted out by security to a chorus of cheers and was banned from the venue. After the fan left, Loyle Carner's show continued without incident.

The response to Carner's zero-tolerance policy at his shows has been overwhelmingly positive.

His move has been heralded by old fans and new admirers alike.

And Elisa and Srigala expressed gratitude for their tourmate too.

Sadly, it's not even the first time this month that Carner put a stop to sexual harassment at one of his shows. Just days prior, Carner had to step in when a male fan wouldn't leave some women in the audience alone.

Too often, the onus is put on the person experiencing harassment to react, respond, or immediately report.

But, as we've seen recently with the numerous individuals coming forward to report incidents with Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes, and Harvey Weinstein, responding in the moment (or even years later) is difficult and frightening. Many victims fear they won't be believed or they'll experience personal and professional retribution.

That's why it's so important for all of us to call out offensive behavior when it occurs. It's particularly important for men to call out other men for inappropriate words and actions. Boardrooms, newsrooms, hotel rooms, or even college concert venues — no place should be a safe haven for crude or violent behavior. It's on all of us.

Hats off to Loyle Carner for showing how it's done.

Watch the full video of Carner giving that harasser the boot. And check out his earnest, catchy, and unsurprisingly women-friendly music.

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With a gorgeous gown, this rap star launched an important conversation about masculinity.

“When it comes to swag, there’s no gender involved."

Young Thug does not give a shit about your feelings.

I'm sorry if that bothers you. You might share a planet, a community, or even a room with the 25-year-old rapper. But you are not in his orbit. Words thrown at him in anger, disgust, or awe seem to roll off his back like water. He just doesn't care.

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for PANDORA Media.

“I like everything that people say,” he told The Guardian. “No matter what they say. You gay, you a punk. You got a nice girlfriend, you’re ugly, you can’t rap, you’re the hardest.”

He sets opinions aside and goes about his business. And by the way, his business is booming.

His latest mixtape is a great listen, but most people are stuck on the cover.

It's called "JEFFERY." That's Thug's given name. And he's on the cover, wearing a stunning garment-turned-sculpture, by artist/designer Alessandro Trincone.

""JEFFERY"" available everywhere tonight at 12am est. Shot by: @whoisglp

A photo posted by ""JEFFERY"" (@thuggerthugger1) on

Part samurai, part Scarlett O'Hara, the piece is tailor-made for someone like Young Thug. Violet ruffles effortlessly fall down his body. His face is obscured by a jaunty parasol hat, a few stray dreads in the frame. Head to toe, it's beautiful.

"When I seen that dress,” he told Billboard magazine, “I felt like God gave it to me.”

Fans and followers fired back with the kind of comments you might expect from the bowels of Twitter. Many questioned his sexuality. Some told him they wouldn't buy his music. Some even questioned the sexuality of everyone who even listened to the album.

Luckily, his supporters were equally, if not more, outspoken.

Erykah Badu even tweeted that Thug's look reminded her of André 3000. And she would know.

This is not Young Thug's first time pushing back on outdated gender norms.

"She told me that she love the way I dress, like a prince but I'm a boy."

He's tall and sleight of frame. Like most rappers, he wears chains, rings, and fabulous jewelry. But that's where a lot of the comparisons end. He rocks wooly Ugg boots and occasionally dons children's dresses as T-shirts. You don't have to "get it" to see that it totally works for him.

YOUNG THUG; IN L.A.... PHOTO BY: @beelbe

A photo posted by ""JEFFERY"" (@thuggerthugger1) on

As a kid, he says, he started gambling and used his winnings to pay for his own clothes, mostly women's.

His feet were small enough to wear his sisters' glitter shoes. But not everyone celebrated Jeffery's groundbreaking choices.

"My dad would whoop me: ‘You’re not going to school now, you’ll embarrass us!’ But I never gave a f— what people think," he told Billboard.

So now, 90% of his clothes are women's. And, by any standard, he looks amazing.

“When it comes to swag, there’s no gender involved," he told Billboard.

Sin life....

A photo posted by ""JEFFERY"" (@thuggerthugger1) on

Of course, Jeffery-turned-Young Thug's music leaves some things (OK, many things) to be desired.

One critic described Thug's brand of hip-hop as post-verbal. It's brash. It glorifies guns. It's misogynistic. It's homophobic. And as much as I hate to admit, it's catchy af.

He's the first artist to have three Top Five rap albums on the Billboard charts in one year. He sells out shows. He's doing Calvin Klein ads. Teens chant his name. White teens, even.

Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for BET Networks.

So yeah, when the man who yells, "I'mma catch your mama, she gone f*$%  me and my team" hints he may wear a dress at his wedding, it's a bit jarring. It doesn't make sense. But maybe that's the point.

And as a black queer woman, I'll admit that Young Thug is more than a little maddening.

He exists in a really frustrating, hypocritical intersection. He can degrade women and wear dresses. He can rap adamantly about not being gay, throwing the word faggot around like confetti, and still have Elton John sing his praises.

Legendary ...@eltonjohn

A photo posted by ""JEFFERY"" (@thuggerthugger1) on

No, Young Thug is not the black, genderqueer, forward-thinking, rockstar-rapper that so many of us want him to be. But he is making us think about gender norms and masculinity, and that's important.

I believe we can continue to push and challenge him on the messages he's putting out into the world while fully believing he'll look beautiful on his wedding day in a gorgeous dress. We all deserve to feel comfortable in our own skin, even people who's lyrics we don't always agree with.

Young Thug matters because masculinity, and especially black masculinity, isn't written in stone.

He's an artist. He's a father. He's the 10th of 11 children. He's a student of high fashion. He's here to be himself and enjoy himself, opinions be damned.

His style and creativity will undoubtedly inspire a generation of young men to take chances and reject the notion of monolithic black hypermasculinity. And if he can do all that in a dress, why the hell not?

Photo by Prince Williams/Getty Images for PUMA.

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Frank Ocean penned an emotional letter on homophobia that everyone should read.

Frank Ocean's letter is both heartbreaking and a necessary read.

Has anyone seen Frank Ocean lately?

Fans have been anxiously awaiting new music from the 28-year-old singer/songwriter and rapper, but it’s very clear that Ocean has been using his time to attack some bigger issues.

What are you up to, Frank?

In a heartfelt letter published on Ocean’s personal Tumblr, the artist penned some tear-jerking words about growing up in a homophobic environment.

He also discussed transphobia and his heartbreak about the Orlando massacre:

"I read in the paper that my brothers are being thrown from rooftops blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs for violating sharia law. I heard the crowds stone these fallen men if they move after they hit the ground. I heard it’s in the name of God. I heard my pastor speak for God too, quoting scripture from his book. Words like abomination popped off my skin like hot grease as he went on to describe a lake of fire that God wanted me in. I heard on the news that the aftermath of a hate crime left piles of bodies on a dance floor this month. I heard the gunman feigned dead among all the people he killed. I heard the news say he was one of us. I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a faggot as he dragged me out a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty. That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t. Many hate us and wish we didn’t exist. Many are annoyed by our wanting to be married like everyone else or use the correct restroom like everyone else. Many don’t see anything wrong with passing down the same old values that send thousands of kids into suicidal depression each year. So we say pride and we express love for who and what we are. Because who else will in earnest? I daydream on the idea that maybe all this barbarism and all these transgressions against ourselves is an equal and opposite reaction to something better happening in this world, some great swelling wave of openness and wakefulness out here. Reality by comparison looks grey, as in neither black nor white but also bleak. We are all God’s children, I heard. I left my siblings out of it and spoke with my maker directly and I think he sounds a lot like myself. If I being myself were more awesome at being detached from my own story in a way I being myself never could be. I wanna know what others hear, I’m scared to know but I wanna know what everyone hears when they talk to God. Do the insane hear the voice distorted? Do the indoctrinated hear another voice entirely?"

In 2012, Ocean changed the dynamics of the hip-hop community forever by opening up about his own sexuality before releasing his Grammy-nominated album, "Channel Orange."

Ocean's discussion of falling in love with his male best friend — an unrequited love addressed repeatedly throughout the album — was a first in the hip-hop industry, ruffling the feathers of some of his fellow rappers and listeners.

Artists like T-Pain insisted that Ocean wouldn't find fellow musicians willing to collaborate with him, and some of Ocean's fans declared they were done with his music.

Frank Ocean performing during the 2014 Bonnaroo Music Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

But Ocean has, in fact, collaborated with many top artists since then. He has several awards under his belt too, including two Grammys.

Rappers like Jay-Z have supported Ocean too, and while hip-hop is notoriously known to push out anti-gay lyrics, many listeners are asking for increased inclusivity in the genre thanks to Ocean's honesty.


Frank Ocean performs at the 2012 Oya music festival in Oslo. Photo credit by Vegard Grøtt/AFP/Getty Images.

With transphobic bathroom bills floating around several states, the recent massacre in Orlando, and staunch opposition to LGBTQ rights around the world, Ocean's words matter.

His honesty and transparent pain are needed in the hip-hop industry now more than ever.

Hip-hop artists like Ocean should continue to express themselves in a way that is inclusive of marginalized groups.

Most recently, rapper Kid Cudi not only slammed homophobia in U.S., but he also vowed to implement change in the hip-hop community, showing us all how to put action behind our words.

While many of us are still waiting anxiously for Ocean to bring more awesome music to the charts, it's been incredible to watch him truly express himself in written words too.

Thanks, Frank.

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