Art & Life

5 PM @ CMU: student’s music video puts a spotlight on Colorado Mesa’s campus

Maddie Hager • February 2, 2020

A senior at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) filmed a music video entirely on CMU’s campus after being inspired by Drake’s song “5 Am in Toronto.”

The song “5pm @ CMU,” performed by CMU psychology major Elias Acevedo, discusses experiences the rapper has had at CMU and what he’s accomplished since attending college in Grand Junction. The song was released to YouTube on April 8, 2018 and the music video was released more than a year later on Nov. 29, 2019.

Behind the scenes at the video’s shooting.
Photo courtesy of Elias Acevedo

“I wanted to film the music video because I felt that putting visuals to the lyrics would help some of those lines connect,” Acevedo said. “I was noticing that people weren’t catching some of the similes and the metaphors and the punchlines. So I thought that if I could visually represent the double entendre, or the word play, then all of a sudden people would get the line.”

In his song, Acevedo reflects on many of his life experiences.
Photo courtesy of Elias Acevedo

Acevedo showed his gratitude for the key roles that Shadow Walker Studios, Outdoor Productions and PKC Music Productions played in the making of the music video. Acevedo was also grateful toward everyone that helped on set and those who acted as extras.

Acevedo creates music when he has the motivation to do so, but he has no set plan for future creative endeavors. Right now, Acevedo is focused on graduating and attending graduate school.

“[‘5pm @ CMU’ is] a means of showcasing how far I’ve come relative to where I used to be,” Acevedo said. “I had a music career in Salt Lake [City] as a rapper, and I think I’ve evolved and kind of transformed. Since coming to [CMU], I’ve become a completely different person… For a lot of the people that used to listen to my old stuff, [5 p.m. @ CMU is] kind of a comeback.”

Acevedo with some of his cast and crew members.
Photo courtesy of Elias Acevedo

Acevedo had two pieces of advice for individuals who plan to pursue hobbies they enjoy. The first was to do it for yourself because the journey is pointless if you’re not having fun. The second piece of advice Acevedo had was to focus on perseverance because there will be a lot of failures along the way to success.

You can watch the music video for “5pm @ CMU” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-IMGqJegG0

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