[Sustainable] Food for Thought
Food and Society Policy Fellow, Wil Bullock, Uses Music to Reach Out to a New Generation

Listen to "Time for Change."

McDonald's recently announced that it will pay top hip hop artists to incorporate 'Big Mac' into their song lyrics. Rappers will receive $5 every time a song mentioning the burger received airplay.

Wil Bullock

The artist has control over how 'Big Mac' can be incorporated into the songs, but McDonald's retains final control over the appropriate lyrics.

Consumer groups, such as the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, are furious about the songs' potential appeal for children, especially with rising concern over childhood obesity rates.

McDonald's retorts that the deal reflects the appeal of hip hop to young people.

Food and Society Policy Fellow, Wil Bullock, understands the power of music in reaching youth. Growing up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, he has been singing since he was seven years old.

A strong advocate for food access in urban communities, Bullock has worked with Boston, MA-based The Food Project, since he was fifteen years old. Starting in the Summer Youth Program, he eventually worked as a kitchen associate, developing and marketing a salsa from local ingredients. Currently, Bullock is a member of The Food Project's BLAST Youth Leadership Cadre, as well as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow.

He firmly believes in the power of sustainable food to transform health and communities.

"Music is a great way to communicate with people in a different way," Bullock says. "In order to accomplish what we have to accomplish, we have to bring in more than the people who are already there. Music is a way to bring in people who may not normally even care about the issue. It can be a tool to spread the message of all of our roles in the food system."

Wil combines two of his passions in the CD he is currently recording. Titled "Food for Thought," the 6-song CD will address food systems issues including access, fast food, and social justice. It's due out at the end of June 2005.

Bullock debuted the first single, "Time for Change," at the April 2005 W.K. Kellogg Food and Society Conference. He also distributed over 200 copies to fellow food and society activists, policymakers, and foundations.

Eventually, Bullock hopes to organize a large music event in Boston, MA highlighting the importance of healthy food choices.

Bullock's lyrics counter McDonald's message. "Worldwide obesity is rising/For their land farmers are dying/We've been silent far too long," he sings in "Together We Stand."

If Wil has anything to do with it, McDonald's may not have the last word after all.

Contact Wil Bullock: wbullock@thefoodproject.org.