McCann London has brought stabbed rapper Joshua Ribera, aka Depzman, back to life for an emotional deepfake music video commissioned by The Joshua Ribera Foundation, the charity that combats knife crime in his name.
The video uses deepfake and audio technology to tell Depzman’s tragic story through a new song called ‘Life Cut Short’, describing his childhood, career and the night that he died.
The campaign was devised and directed by Elliot Lee and Rory Peyton-Jones, who were looking for an authentic voice to talk to young people about knife crime and culture. They decided that Depzman – who was a rising star in the UK grime scene when he was killed in 2013 – would be the perfect choice.
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Midlands’ rappers ShadowCV and T-Roadz ghost-wrote the lyrics – inspired by Depzman’s life and music – with support from Alison Cope, Depzman’s mum, while the track was produced by music company Native Music.
The anti-knife crime campaign, which was created in partnership with British media company SBTV, was supported by founder Jamal Edwards who had been integral in the creative conception prior to his death earlier this year.
The video has already made an impact across social media, with more than 4 million views so far, having been shared by artists Jaykae, JME and Skepta. It will also play in 65 prisons across the UK to send a powerful message about the consequences of carrying a knife.
McCann UK chief creative officer and co-president Laurence Thomson said, “In our business, we’re familiar with the value of a good pneumonic and ear worms for brands and their role in recall. But this project stretches beyond the normal conventions of ‘campaign’.
“When you have a chance to create something with a powerful message, one that can have such a profound effect on the audience it is aimed at, it’s humbling. To see how it’s been received so far – the tide of positive rallying support from the community and beyond – it’s evident it has struck a chord, starting a conversation that’s vitally needed.”
Alison Cope, Depzman’s mum and founder of The Joshua Ribera Foundation said, “I trusted the team to bring my son’s story to life respectfully and effectively. It makes me incredibly proud of what’s been achieved and the impact that it’s already had.
“I hope that this campaign will inspire the government, especially the education secretary, to use this film as a tool effectively and make education around youth violence compulsory in the UK.”
BrightNight directors Elliot Lee and Rory Peyton Jones said: “Grime music and deepfakes are both artistic mediums that have received a lot of criticism in the press but music, including grime, can be an incredibly powerful tool to tell stories and tap into emotion, and deepfake video is yet another filmmaking tool that can be used in many ways.
“In this case both have been used to make something powerful, positive and provocative. Hopefully it will save lives.”
