The game that had Spartan fans on the edge of their seats also inspired four students to collaborate and create a viral music video about the success of senior quarterback Connor Cook.
Media and information senior Aidan Barrer watched the Cotton Bowl game closely on New Year’s Day, taking notes and re-watching until he had about two-and-a-half minutes worth of rap lyrics.
“Tony Lippett look up, let’s see what Connor Cooks up” are lyrics from Barrer’s song, “Roses,” written last year after the Rose Bowl. “Roses” was where the original idea for “Cookin’ Up” came from.
“It was an idea, and once the game ended with that spectacular comeback, immediately when it happened, it clicked — I need to start working on this song and get it out as soon as possible,” Barrer said.
Barrer approached media and information graduate student Mike Kidd, who was the graduate student assistant in his introduction to audio class.
“When he first approached me, to be honest, I just thought he was some white boy trying to rap,” Kidd said. “I was kind of blown away — he’s got some skill.”
The Cotton Bowl was intense, and making the video was a way for fans to relive it, he said.
After Barrer leased the audio from Dansonn Beats, he and Kidd mixed and recorded “Cookin’ Up” before they brought media and information senior Benjamin Webber and junior Kyle Brow into the studio to shoot video at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building. For Webber, this was the first time he shot a music video.
Regarding it as Aidan’s vision, Webber said, “I just wanted to make sure he was happy with it.”
Looking back, Barrer said the video came out better than past collaboration projects with Kidd. “Cookin’ Up” has received over 5,200 views on YouTube since its release Jan. 20. According to the group, it keeps growing every day.
Barrer used the release of “Cookin’ Up” to promote his appearance at Mac’s Bar in Lansing last Friday.
“I had a really good turnout, including Connor Cook coming on stage,” Barrer said. “I had a goal awhile ago, to get (Cook) onstage — I said that before I even wrote this song.”
Cook’s interest sparked once Barrer tweeted the link to “Roses” at him last year. He continued to retweet links to Barrer’s YouTube channel, Bizzair, exposing his 19,000 followers to their work.
Now, “We’re boys,” Barrer said.
“First thing he said to me was ‘Whatever you do, don’t pass me the mic,’” Barrer said. “He stood there at the back of the stage and would chime in every once in a while, and the crowd would go insane.”
Over the last two years, Barrers’ “amateur” rap home videos have transformed into professional work with the help of some fellow Spartans.
“I would set up the tripod, walk in front of the camera, rap and edit it in iMovie,” Barrer said. “Now, I’ve taken it to the next level. I have good ideas for videos and I enjoy making them, but it’s hard to do it all. I’d rather solely focus on the rapping and work with others.”
He continues to work with Kidd to produce more songs, which will appear on Barrer’s mixtape, and work with videographers, like Webber and Brow, to make his music visual.
