Endearing RVA Rap, Take Two

I'm throwing the obligatory embedded video above for the six of you who have not seen the almost-viral RiverCityVA804 video, which has gone from 300 to 15,000 views on YouTube over the past 24 hours. (Viral is a slower process in Richmond.)

Richmond.com's Karri Pfeifer has the scoop on the home grown rap video celebrating some of the aspects of Richmond culture that get the young, working hipsters appropriately excited about living and working here. It turns out that it was developed to get the young, working hipsters excited.

Mission accomplished. Well, for 15,000 of them.

It all started with YRichmond, a local "talent and retention program powered by C3 to attract and retain top talent in the Richmond area," said Katie Coleman, recruiting manager for First Market Bank and committee member at YRichmond.

"Jim Ukrop, Chairman of First Market Bank, approached me with the idea of adding to this internship program by creating some sort of advertisement for recruiters, such as myself, to take with us on campuses and advertise the city of Richmond," Coleman said.

Members of the YRichmond steering committee came up with the idea of doing a video; Coleman took it to fellow YRichmonder Dana Bolfing from Park Group, who drafted her coworkers Nathan Burns and Stuart Holt to help with the project.

The only thing missing? Some on-air talent and that’s where Sam Abouhasira and Blaine Lay, two financial services advisors from First Market Bank branches, come in. That’s right, those guys are not actors, they’re not singers, they’re not dancers. They’re financial service advisors, which sounds like a job that doesn’t usually involve a lot of singing or dancing.

And it doesn’t.

"I [don’t] officially [have any training] but I do some of that in my own in my own time … I write some poetry and rhymes," Abouhasira said.

It was a 12 hour filming project with a bit of time in the editing booth tacked on. It's gotten a lot of attention, and may well attract a handful of new recruits to Richmond's young professional class. It sure beats the "Easy To Love" slogan.

Comments

[ryan]

"Members of the YRichmond steering committee came up with the idea of doing a video;" after watching the Arlington Rap video and deciding to bastardize it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo

[Dave Leery]

The fact that this has gotten a lot of attention says more about bored turds online than Richmond. No offense to the goofy '80s amateur rappers, but this would make me want to move to Richmond about as much as a boxed lunch at a slavery museum.

[John Sarvay]

Sure, but what if the boxed lunch had deviled eggs?

[Randy Hawkins]

The Arlington Rap is much much better. Remy knows what's up.

[Christina]

It's cute but they spend too much time on a few things. So much more to Richmond. Hmmm, something comes to mind.