Long before a word is written for your favorite Hip Hop website or magazine, public opinion is shaped by friendly or even heated debates all across the globe. Jay Rucker and Mike Rob of Be Your Own Boss Entertainment just decided to take the feedback from those conversations and animate them—literally. The pair of childhood friends created “Shawt Bus Shawty,” a viral video that jokingly pokes fun at Gucci Mane, Wacka Flocka Flame, OJ Da Juiceman and Soulja Boy.
“We’re pretty much saying what everybody else has on their minds,” explained Rucker. “Every once in a while, someone will say a really funny joke, and we just take that and run with it.”
In the case of “Shawt Bus Shawty,” the joke came from the fact that, much like any other listener, Rucker and Rob aren’t immune to a catchy hook. Rucker initially produced an intro to Soulja Boy and OJ Da Juiceman’s “Gold Grill Shawty,” and his partner found that he didn’t need to look any further.
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“The song kept getting stuck in my head from him saying, ‘Gold grill shawty! Gold grill shawty!’” said Rob. “I just thought, ‘You know what, why not make something about how he always says something about being retarded? Gucci Mane is always saying something is stupid or retarded too, so let’s just change it to ‘Shawt Bus Shawty.’”
The video currently has over 4.5 million views on YouTube, and it has been one of HipHopDX’s most watched videos ever. Much like Ed Lover’s “C’mon Son!” series and legendary Hip Hop illustrator (and frequent DX contributor) Andre Leroy Davis, BYOB Entertainment viral clips take a lighthearted approach to a subject that some Hip Hop fans can get freakishly passionate about. One of the things that separate Mike and Jay from the average fanboy typing “OJ Da Juiceman is killing Hip Hop!!!” on any given site’s comment boards is perspective. In 2008, the pair narrowly escaped a fatal run-in with an 18-wheeler, while on the way to conduct some business.
“We could’ve died,” Rob said. “So we called each other up the next day like, ‘Man, I think we’re really here for a reason. I don’t know what it is, but let’s change the world and try to do something.’”
Having practiced their respective crafts of production and illustration for over a decade, the choice was easy. The dozens of videos they’ve created add to Hip Hop’s public discourse, while social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow fans to weigh in as well.
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“Everything is evolving, so it’s just another form of entertainment,” said Rob. “It’s great, because you put a video out, and you instantly know how people feel.”
While people outside the realm of Hip Hop, such as South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have cashed in with ideas such as their parody of Kanye West, BYOB Entertainment might have a distinct advantage.
“I think it’s more authentic,” Rucker explained. “When somebody on the outside is trying to make fun of something they can’t fully relate to, things get lost. Let’s say a white guy made a cartoon about a black family. Would he be able to fully grasp what goes on versus someone who is in the culture?”
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With “Shawt Bus Shawty” currently on regular radio rotation and available for purchase, there’s an opportunity to provide some cultural commentary and turn a decent profit. And what about the artists depicted in the dozens of BYOB Entertainment videos? Should any of them take the viral clips personally?
“Sometimes we leave it up to the interpretation of the person watching it too,” said Rucker. “But, I’ll keep it one hundred, and say that sometimes we are going at certain artists. Because we’re cool with a lot of artists, then yeah, it’s all love at the end of the day…nothing personal.”
For the latest from Be Your Own Boss Entertainment, subscribe to their YouTube channel and follow the BYOBEntertainment Twitter feed. You can also purchase “Shawt Bus Shawty” via iTunes.
