Is Joaquin Phoenix A Bona Fide Gangsta?

As much as there has been recent speculation that Joaquin Phoenix is faking his own career change as a newly minted rap star, the latest is he is the real deal.

Ok you have to admit you can’t blame anyone for thinking the whole transition thing into wanting to be a rap star was a sham, come on, the dude is a joke. Check out his embarrassing performance in Las Vegas.

But according to his rep, Susan Patricola, he is deadly serious about it. She says the actor’s move into hip hop is not a well crafted hoax but very real.

Patricola fired off an email to MTV stating “The transition from one career to another is never seamless. 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.”

However, is she in on the joke too?

EW.com’s Hollywood Insider says Phoenix along with his brother in law, Casey Affleck, is not only playing an elaborate prank on the media, but his publicists are in on the scam too.

EW.com quotes sources close to the star as saying, "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.'"

"It's an art project for him. 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."

Hmm, interesting, if it’s a hoax, it’s a damn fine one. Maybe there’s more to Joaquin than we thought?

One thing’s for sure, either Phoenix is going to have the shortest career as a rap star or we are going to get our dumbasses punked for believing this shit.