The phrase “rapping teacher” may draw a cringe from many teens, but a pair of Georgia teachers have gone viral for the surprisingly high-quality music video they released to get their students amped up for the new school year.
Teachers and cheerleading coaches Callie Evans and Audrianna Williams released the song, their own take on Jack Harlow’s “Whats Poppin,” this week as students at Monroe Comprehensive High School began a virtual return to class.
In the video, Williams and Evans rap about online learning and coronavirus safety measures as a group of masked cheerleaders dance behind them in a school hallway. Thousands of people have watched the video online within just days of it being posted.
They picked Harlow’s song for their back-to-school rap because it’s already popular with their students and gets them excited, Evans told Albany, Ga. Fox affiliate 360aproko.
“We wanted to meet them where they were, just to get them excited about virtual learning because some may feel kind of nervous or upset,” she told 360aproko. “We just wanted to show them you can still have a good time and be ready to learn, virtually.”
Their school is one of the many across the U.S. that is returning to class online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 has infected more than 5.5 million people and killed more than 173,000 in the U.S. alone, according to Johns Hopkins University. The five-day average number of confirmed cases in the U.S. was trending down, but there were still more than 42,000 new daily cases.
The teachers told 360aproko that they hope the video will help make these difficult times a little easier for their students.
“It’s about the students and getting them excited for school and getting them excited about their teachers and where they are and exuding school pride where they are,” Williams told 360aproko news.
The video has gotten a huge response. Even rapper Missy Elliott replied to a tweet of the video with four fire emoji.
Evans and Williams may be looking to follow up on their video’s success.
“We are going to give them another song, coming soon,” Evans told 360aproko news.
