Just Wright: Queen Latifah, Common Surprise Kids of P.S. 22 Chorus

First of all, if you are not aware of the children of the P.S. 22 Chorus, you are missing out on a gem of New York life. For years, the elementary school chorus from P.S. 22 on Staten Island has been putting on astounding performances, achieving fame for their renditions of commercial songs. Led by Gregg Breinberg, the chorus, launched in 2000, has sung with and for such music icons as Tori Amos, Stevie Nicks, Beyonce, Passion Pit and Rhianna. As of April, videos of their performances on YouTube have been collectively viewed more than 16,000,000 times. They are phenomenally talented and enjoyable to watch, and personally, we at Birthplace have always enjoyed watching the kids do their thing, and I have personally put many people on to them, including my own kids.

Luckily, there is a hip hop angle which allows us to bring this fabulous group of kids into the e-folds of our site. Fox Searchlight Pictures, as a part of their promotions for the upcoming film Just Wright, recently arranged a surprise appearance for the children to hang with the stars of the film, Queen Latifah and Common. After practicing Latifah’s new song “Champion” for weeks, the chorus believed they were traveling to MSR Studios for a simple tour of the studios. Instead, waiting for them were the two stars, and the reaction from the kids was simply priceless (and LOUD!). Watch the video below, including an inspiring performance with the Queen herself.

The P.S. 22 blog, which documents all of the amazing achievements, performances and accolades the chorus receives, details the occasion, and provides images from the event, as well as additional video. All in all, these kids, and all those involved with the program, are a joy to watch and are a must-see phenomenon.

Just Wright hits theaters Friday, May 14.