Rap pioneer Grandmaster Melle Mel plans to help overweight Americans shape up with a new hip-hop-themed fitness TV show.
The 49-year-old star - formerly known as Grandmaster Melle Mel - is convinced too many people have become "fat and lazy" and has vowed to help them change their lifestyle.
The programme, titled Grand Master Fitness with Melle Mel, will be shown on a local TV channel in New York and Mel insists he will provide plenty of handy hints for eating well and slimming down.
He tells the New York Daily News, "The average American used to be a strong, respectable person. Now he's fat and lazy and wondering when he's going to get his next Big Mac. We need a more fit image. It's got to be done, and I'm going to do it...
"We're going to mix it up. We're going to go to different gyms, different playgrounds to see what people do to stay fit... Every episode isn't going to be me and a bunch of people sweating to music. I want to make it fun, and show people how to eat right."