Detroit rapper Bizarre pulled some creative double duty during a recent stop in Red Deer.
Not only did the hip-hop artist known for working with the group D12 and Eminem perform at The Club, he co-starred in a locally produced music video for Red Deer rapper Brayden Bonnett — known professionally as B-Lieve.
Local videographer Ronnie Rabena said he shot the video in a day in the Pussycat Lounge in back of The Club, just before Bizarre’s June 1 concert there.
The Detroit rapper, also known as Rufus Johnson, was introduced to B-Lieve’s music through a mutual friend — Connecticut hip-hop artist Jason “Fury” Flores.
Fury specifically came to Red Deer to also co-star in the video, said Rabena. When Fury played one of B-Lieve’s tracks, I Can Do Anything, to Bizarre on the phone, he liked it so much, “he decided to write on it and produce it,” Rabena added.
The 29-year-old videographer had previously planned to record another track, but made a last-minute switch to I Can Do Anything, with its positive message about accomplishment.
Rabena said B-Lieve had already recorded his vocals for the track, but Fury and Bizarre still had to lay their contributions down.
Since the setting for the music video was a nightclub, B-Lieve put out a call for some club girls on his Facebook page and got a good turnout. Rabena said the female extras were initially unsure of how to behave for the camera, but as the music got going, they “got into it” and were dancing by the end of the shoot.
“The timing was definitely an issue because we had to be out of The Club by 10:30 p.m.,” recalled Rabena.
“And we had to get Bizarre’s part done so he could get ready for his concert, so the pressure was there.”
But Rabena said Bizarre was easy to work with, as were the other two rappers, so things went well.
He expects the video for B-Lieve’s I Can Do Anything to be up on YouTube in about five weeks. He also hopes to get MuchMusic interested in it.
The self-taught videographer and photographer previously shot a music video for Vancouver rapper Moka Only, who was once with Swollen Members.
Rabena said he’s still editing the video that was shot in Vancouver for the Only track, Off Tha Hook. He anticipates posting it on YouTube in about three weeks.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com