Timberlake Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

04/14/09 5:55pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Justin Timberlake, Lupe Fiasco and Ethiopian-American musician Kenna will climb Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro this fall to raise awareness about water issues around the world.

"My dad almost died as a child from waterborne diseases in Ethiopia, and he had talked to me about digging a well there, and I thought, 'I have too many friends who would be concerned with the subject of clean water. Maybe I can help out,'" Kenna told Elle magazine.

Fiasco (real name Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) says he's competing with Kenna and Timberlake to try and get to the top of the highest point in Africa first. All three men are taking their training for the climb very seriously. Kenna told Elle that he refuses to work out with Timberlake and is training in secret, while Fiasco jokingly said he wants to sabotage Kenna's tent and put ants in his coat.

"I've been training four times a week to get my [oxygen consumption] levels up to expand my lungs," Timberlake told GQ magazine. "We'll climb for a week straight, carrying 30 pounds on our backs.

"It's going to be intense, but it's going to be so rewarding. Plus, we're going to be ready for it."

Fiasco's next album, Lasers, should be released sometime this year. He previously said he'd release a three-disc dry titled LupE.N.D. as his final album.