A rap cameo by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become an internet hit and its creators have described the controversial figure as being surprisingly happy to take the piss out of his own image.
Assange appears in Episode Five of Rap News – News World Order: War on Journalism – which has been watched more than 236,000 times since being posted to YouTube on December 17.
The episode was filmed in October, before Assange’s leak of almost 400,000 secret logs from the Iraq War, and getting a cameo from the man himself was an unbelievable coup for the video makers.
Watch Julian Assange’s Rap News cameo here.
Rap News is the work of two Melbourne-based friends, Hugo Farrant, 30, and Giordano Nanni, 32 who work as an English teacher and a university researcher respectively.
The pair revealed that Assange contacted them saying he loved their work and invited them to London for a sneak preview of his forthcoming cable leaks, thinking it could be used as content for their next episode.
It seemed only logical to then offer Assange a role in Rap News.
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“Despite a couple of initial raised eyebrows, Julian was totally up for it,” Nanni said.
”We didn’t pull any punches on the gags, either. Thankfully, the man has a great sense of humour.”
”Having to tell Julian Assange how to hit the beat was a unique experience,” Farrant said.
The WikiLeaks boss was apparently a natural at stepping into an acting role for Rap News.
“He was full of creative ideas for how to act and time the entrance, and he really enjoyed lampooning his own image,” Farrant said.
“It was fantastic — we’re still pinching ourselves,” added Nanni. “He’s a preternaturally calm person, but with a great sense of humour.”
Rap News has gained a cult following for its humorous political commentary. “Every time we do a new video, it gets bigger,” Nanni said. ‘”The next one will be on an Australian issue.”
Watch this space.
