Joaquin Phoenix’s Rap Career Over Before It Begins

Recently, two-time Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix announced his retirement from acting for a career in music.

Amidst rumors of a rap album helmed by Diddy (though it has yet to be confirmed by anyone in the music mogul's camp), featuring "Wu-Tang style beats," what followed was a collection of awkward impromptu appearances at various clubs, some random freestyling and a sloppy, drunken rap performance at a Las Vegas nightclub, which ended with Phoenix taking a dive off the stage. The entire debacle is being filmed by brother-in-law Casey Affleck, for a documentary on Phoenix's career transition.

A source close to Phoenix told Entertainment Weekly that Phoenix's rap ambition is in fact, a hoax. "He said, 'It's a put-on. I'm going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey is going to film it,'" the unnamed source said, relating a recent conversation with the actor. "It's an art project for him," the source continued. "He's going full out. He probably has told his reps that he's quit acting. Joaquin is very smart. This is very conscious. He has a huge degree of control."

However (or, in keeping with the ruse) the actor's publicist, Susan Patricola, has released a statement insisting that Phoenix's rapping is entirely serious."The transition from one career to another is never seamless," she said. "It should come as no surprise to anyone that Joaquin came from a musical family, in addition to winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Johnny Cash.... He intends on exploring his musical interests despite speculative, negative or positive reactions."

For now, whether MC Joaquin Phoenix is a hoax or the real Federline still remains to be seen, in all its uncomfortable, Andy Kaufman-esque scruffy glory.