Students go viral with the music video “Where My Bus At”

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The Real Young Prodigys, a group of elementary and middle school students at Jefferson County Public School (JCPS), released a hit new music video called “Where My Bus At” ​​in August.

The Louisville superstars captured the public's attention with catchy lyrics and calls for the reinstatement of bus transportation for JCPS students.

Months ago, the group developed this idea in response to bus transportation cuts at most of JCPS's magnet and regular schools.

“This is just their way of saying, 'Hey, this issue affects us, but we want to use our language, which is hip-hop, and we want to do it in a fun and meaningful way,'” said Antonio Taylor, founder of Hip Hop N 2 Learning. The Real Young Prodigys is a project of the local nonprofit organization.

Their mission is simple: they write song lyrics for action-action.

“With every song we write, with every piece of art we create, there is an action,” Taylor said.

“We are the future,” said Braylon Blocker, 12, a seventh-grader at WEB DuBois Academy. Blocker helped write and record the song and appeared in the music video.

He said his favorite lyric was one he wrote himself: “It's all in the news, but I don't want any fuss. You don't have anyone to drive you? Wait, I'll drive the bus.”

Blocker takes the bus to school, but wants everyone who needs it to get one.

“We just need to speak out and tell them we need our buses back,” Blocker said. “Let's make it happen and make it easier for families.”

He said he draws his inspiration exclusively from what he experiences in real life.

“I just thought about it seriously because these are real-life things that I normally see,” Blocker said.

Andrene Flowers is a 12th grader at Central High School and mentors the younger children throughout the music production process.

“I'm really proud of the kids,” Flowers said. “They worked really hard on this song.”

She shared her excitement about the public attention the song received both within and outside the community.

“I’m so glad they got to experience this because not many kids get to experience this,” Flowers said.

Earlier this week, JCPS announced that additional bus routes may be added, but this would depend on the training of 60 TARC drivers.

“It’s great when kids can use their voices to make change,” Taylor said.

At Butler Traditional, duPont Manual and Louisville Male high schools, bus transportation would resume for students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and at Johnson Traditional Middle School and Coleridge-Taylor and Young elementary schools, bus transportation would fully resume.

“I really hope our kids feel like their voices have been heard and that an impact has been made and change has been made,” Taylor said.

Dalauren Peoples is in sixth grade at Western Middle School for the Arts.

“I hope this changes so it will be easier for my mother and me,” she said, who drives, about the bus ride.

She wrote and recorded some lyrics in the studio, including “The wheels of the bus are turning round and round, I can't get to school, no bus in town.”

“They really understand the power of their voice and learn that they can make a difference,” Taylor said.

This song is just the first single from an album coming in September.

You can watch the music video below

Stay up to date with more stories like this one easily. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android User.

Do you have a news tip? E-Mail [email protected]visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.