Actor Joaquin Phoenix has denied that his nascent venture into the world of hip-hop is a hoax. Phoenix conducted a press conference in Beverly Hills, which gave him a chance to clear up the rumors that his musical career is nothing more than an elaborate ruse. “I realize that [my hip-hop career] might seem ridiculous to other people,” he said. “But I can't concern myself with that."

Affleck filmed Phoenix at the press conference, and reporters were barred from bringing their own cameras to the session. Presumably the footage will end up in Affleck’s vaunted documentary on his famous friend’s hip-hop career, which is set to feature some involvement from P. Diddy. “Diddy said to me, 'You've gotta get out there,'" Phoenix said. "I have 10 songs now, and three of them I think are really good, and the others I think are pretty crap. But I'll work on them."

Dermot Mulroney and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers may also feature on Phoenix’s project, and apparently Method Man has offered his services. "I sound like such a fucking dick,” said Phoenix, with unnerving accuracy. “But what I wanna do is 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.”

So Phoenix is either set to make the 21st century equivalent of “Ice Ice Baby” or is etching out a ham-fisted satire of the music industry. Either way, the results seem destined to be underwhelming. “Everyone might hate it, and I might be the only one who likes it,” he said. “But that's OK, because I'm having an amazing time making the record." [VH1]