Victoria mayor, local celebrities lip sync in 'Biketown' music video
Parody rap video promotes Victoria's cycling community and infrastructure
A parody music video promoting Victoria's cycling community and starring a number of local celebrities is racking up hits online.
The video, "Biketown," stars Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps as well as Saanich South MLA Lana Popham, Victoria MP Murray Rankin and Ironman and Olympic triathlete Brent McMahon.
"In late 2015 Macklemore came out with a song called Downtown about mopeds zipping around Seattle," said Matt Hulse, an articled lawyer and the creative force behind the video.
"At the same time Victoria was embarking on its Biketoria initiative, upgrading local cycling infrastructure, so I kind of had bikes on the brain. And I decided in a flash that the Biketown parody would be made."
Hulse says funding was the project's biggest challenge.
"People weren't jumping on board as quickly as I would have liked. However, once I recorded the song, and I had something tangible that they could listen to, and once they heard the quality of the song, they really decided to buy into it."
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Hulse says he wants to promote cycling as a fun and accessible form of transportation in Victoria.
"We've got a robust cycling community where elite athletes rub fenders with regular enthusiasts. We've got a perfect climate for it. We've got great roads with cycling destinations."
Although Hulse says the video has been well received by the community, he says he won't give up practising law for a career in rap music any time soon.