Joaquin Phoenix Serious About Rapping

02/04/09 2:54pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Despite rumours that actor Joaquin Phoenix's newfound "rap career" is a joke or some kind of bizarre art project, he insists what he's doing is very real.

Phoenix announced he was quitting acting to begin a music career in late October, but many raised their eyebrows in surprise (and speculation) when he later said he'd rap and actor Casey Affleck would make a documentary about it.

One of Phoenix's friends later said the entire thing was a hoax, and that the actor sees his "career" as more of an "art project."

"I would say the people who said that this is all a hoax are clearly somebody who is an old friend, or somebody that I worked with on music," Phoenix told VH1.com. "I've worked with a lot of people on music in the past, and often times those things don't work out. Sometimes you have some bad blood between people, and that's all that I can imagine where it comes from.

"I realize that [my hip-hop career] might seem ridiculous to other people, but I can't concern myself with that."

Phoenix made his live debut at a Las Vegas club last month and fell off the stage at the end of the lone song he performed. RollingStone.com reported that the actor came onstage looking "shitfaced and disheveled while garbling and rhyming in public." The whole event was caught on video, which you can see below.

"I didn't fucking fall," Phoenix told VH1. "You're up on this little platform, there's fucking lights everywhere, right in your eyes, flashing at you like that, and everything is dark, and I literally just went to step off the thing and misjudged and slipped down.

"I wasn't fucked up and fell down. I jumped down, and I literally jumped back up without harm."

Uh, we're pretty sure slipping and jumping down are two different things, and we're pretty sure the first one is also called falling.

Phoenix also said his new career has been "nerve-wracking, because there's literally people there heckling you," and admitted that it's been "terrible" so far.

As for recent rumours that Diddy will produce his debut album, Phoenix only said they'd be working together on something soon.

"As to whether that will be a complete album or not, I don't know. But Diddy said to me, 'You've gotta get out there.'"

There are apparently 10 songs written for this album. Phoenix says three are "pretty good," while the others "are pretty crap." The good ones are called "Can I Get A Refund?," "If You're Going To San Francisco" and "Daddy Dum Dum."

Phoenix has apparently invited actor Dermot Mulroney, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and rapper Method Man to record with him, and his producer wish list includes DJ Premier and Chuck D. Maybe it should include Canadian Bob Ezrin, since he wants to "make the fucking Wall. I want to do the hip-hop Floyd.

"I have one track right now that's five minutes that I'm trying to make seven. It might just be seven minutes of pure misery, but hopefully it's seven minutes."

Here's video of Phoenix falling off stage in January: