Joel Carter and his eight-year-old daughter Dream Carter both liked the song “Rake It Up” by Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj when they first heard it on the radio.
But the dad quickly realised the strip club-themed lyrics weren’t very appropriate for children. So, with the help of his daughter, he decided to rewrite them and turn “Rake It Up” into a positive anthem for kids.
The Carters’ “Rake It Up” remix is all about studying hard and “raking up” As in school. Dream and her friends showed off their dance moves in a fun music video for the song, which has been viewed nearly 4.5 million times on Facebook.
“The response has been amazing from a wide range of people,” Joel told HuffPost. “It has received praise from parents, students, teachers and celebrities. Even the song’s original artists, Yo Gotti and Nicki Minaj have consigned and even shared our song.”
Joel, who works in education, said Dream is a talented rapper and dancer and a straight A student. “My daughter has been extremely excited to get back to school. She’s looking forward to seeing her old friends and meeting her new teacher.”
The dad hopes their “Rake It Up” video motivates kids to pursue academic excellence. He also wants the song to inspire his fellow educators.
“For teachers, I hope it inspires them to understand the importance of their job and how they can change the world through their work of inspiring and educating our youth.”
This story was originally published on the US version of HuffPost.