First Lady and SNL's Jay Pharoah create rap video promoting higher education

'I want to honor and empower young people who are working hard in school and pursuing their dreams - and I want to do it in a fresh and fun way.'

Michelle Obama and Saturday Night Live's Jay Pharoah collaborated on a cheesy rap video promoting college attendance.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The video, which can be viewed on YouTube features lyrics such as "If you wanna fly jets, you should go to college. Reach high and cash checks? Fill your head with knowledge."

The video was released via College Humor, a comedy, and often satirical, company that produces shorts, web series, sketches, animations, music, comics and more.

The video elicits much laughter with the corny acting, strange lyrics and stereotypical rap-video copycat behavior.

The White House can be seen in several clips and it appears the First Lady is recording in one of its rooms. The point of the video is to encourage people to earn college degrees and Obama raps about growing up in Chicago, where "We had to do overtime every night to make it to tomorrow."

The reference to overtime served as a nod toward the literal price of obtaining a college degree, which has left 40 million Americans in a total debt of over $1.2 trillion.

The First Lady's "Better Make Room" campaign targets fourteen to 19-year-olds and encourages them to attend college. The campaign addresses the growing trend of lower graduation rates from American colleges.

Obama released the statement, "I want to honor and empower young people who are working hard in school and pursuing their dreams - and I want to do it in a fresh and fun way."

Both Obama and Pharoah presented "fresh and fun" by reenacted popular rap video themes, such as images of money, pursed lips, slightly hunched backs and bobbing legs paired with swinging arms.

As with most educational videos, Go to College is uncomfortably funny -but it gets the message across.

Sam Reich, CollegeHumor's head of video, released a statement saying, "I think the country will join me in saying, 'Mrs. Obama, we think you should cut an album.'" 

In a post with the rap, the website added, "College is awesome. If you don't believe us just ask the First Lady of the United States and SNL's Jay Pharoah."

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