Rose Parade Float Turns Hip-Hop Classic Into Urgent Health Message About Kidney Disease

A towering 55-foot Rose Parade float will transform a beloved 1980s hip-hop anthem into an unconventional public health campaign targeting a silent epidemic affecting millions of Americans.

UCLA Health’s CORE Kidney Program’s 2025 parade entry, titled “It’s In Your Hands: It Takes 2,” features a remixed version of Rob Base’s “It Takes Two” to spotlight kidney disease testing.

Built by Phoenix Decorating Company, the float showcases a blooming lotus cradled in cupped hands, alongside kidney-shaped trees and a working LED boom box symbolizing hope and healing.

A bridge spanning the 55-foot float, which measures 18 feet wide and 20 feet high, symbolizes patients’ long, arduous, and often frightening journey through kidney disease.

The Circle of CORE Kidney Foundation, formed by grateful kidney patients, caregivers, and living kidney donors, focuses its mission on Clinical Excellence, Outreach, Research, and Education.

“More than 35 million adults in the U.S. have CKD and almost 90% of people are unaware of their condition,” said a statement from the foundation. “Most people with kidney disease don’t experience symptoms until their disease is advanced and irreversible kidney damage has occurred.”

The health crisis particularly affects minority communities, with Black adults facing three times the risk of kidney failure compared to white adults, according to the statement.

Hispanic adults are 1.3 times more likely to experience kidney failure than white adults, highlighting significant racial disparities in kidney disease outcomes.

“The irony is that kidney testing is simple, inexpensive, and widely available. Despite all this, kidney disease does not get the attention or press it deserves,” the foundation said.

A concerning study by the foundation revealed that less than 20 percent of at-risk patients received complete kidney disease testing between 2013 and 2019.

Dr. Anjay Rastogi, Professor and Clinical Chief of Nephrology at UCLA Health, will walk alongside kidney patients, transplant recipients, donors, and healthcare providers during the parade.

The float represents a collaboration between medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company, following its 2024 Isabella Coleman Award win.