An Ohio University alumnus got Hamilton in “Formation,” while creating a mashup of two of 2016’s cultural phenomenons.
On Nov. 21, YouTube contributor Michael Korte, who graduated from OU in 2010 with a degree in acting and is now living in Los Angeles, posted a video on his YouTube account, titled, “#HAM4BEY.” Korte, who often contributes to YouTube, created a video that featured an arrangement of hit Beyonce songs and Hamilton tracks by Jared Jenkins.The video has almost 300,000 views on Korte’s YouTube account and has been featured on many different media outlets such as BuzzFeed, Playbill and the Los Angeles Times.
The Post talked to Korte, discussing why he chose to create the piece and how he hopes it will impact others.
The Post: What inspired this project?
Korte: I am a crazy Beyonce and Hamilton fan. I knew there must be a way to combine the things that I love most into a piece of art that I could create.
P: Who else did you work with on the project that were big contributing factors?
K: My friend Jared Jenkins did the majority of the musical arrangement. He was really a force behind this, he is a musical genius, so I was really excited to share his talent with the world as well.
P: Did the creation of this mashup correlate at all with the most resident presidential election and Vice President-elect, Mike Pence?
K: It was actually kind of crazy timing, Donald Trump actually tweeted out at the Hamilton cast that he felt they were attacking Mike Pence about a week before the video was released. All of my friends are saying it is great timing, but it was not planned. My video is not a reaction to what happened that weekend.
P: Did you expect the project to go so “viral?”
K: I did not expect it, but I will say, we were combing two of the top cultural phenomenons of 2016, so I knew it would execute well and it would find an audience.
P: In what ways do you wish for this project to inspire artists and creators in Athens?
K: Something I struggled with — while being in Athens — was being removed from pop culture. There is an art scene in Athens and the theatre department does amazing things. I don't want to take away from any of the work that they are doing, but I will say that I really hope this does inspire those who live in Athens or OU students who live in Athens.
