The Coolest Kids in the World is a project about art and advocacy centered on the subject of child soldiers. I hope to inspire you to see the beauty of our connection as humans to one another, and feel the gravity of injustices committed against our brothers and sisters. The idea of “coolness” comes from the work of rap artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West. Rap culture rewards those who have risen from the bottom to become rich and famous, and ranks those who have survived the toughest circumstances as the “coolest”. Making claims of surviving tough lives and still climbing to great heights is a core value of luxury rap culture.

This inspired me to think of the child soldiers that are currently surviving much more than any American youth could imagine, yet still rising back to incredible heights as we help lift them up. I feel that the people who come from such circumstance would be, by the rubric of rap, very cool—indeed, the coolest kids in the world.