Released on: January 13, 2008, 4:05 am

Press Release Author: District Entertainment

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: Hip-hop artists from the US, UK, Japan and Europe have
collaborated on a one-off music video to protest the continued presence of US
Soldiers in Iraq, released on the internet today with an eye for further broadcasts
on cross-channel digital media platforms.

Press Release Body: For immediate release:

January 13th, 2008

'Sorrow of the Soldier' music video available at http://www.maudevintage.com/soldier
Hip-hop artists from the US, UK, Japan and Europe have collaborated on a one-off
music video to protest the continued presence of US Soldiers in Iraq, released on
the internet today with an eye for further broadcasts on cross-channel digital media
platforms.

The track, 'Sorrow of the Soldier' by US Rapper Mark Prysler, tells the story of
Lucas, a working-class man who runs out of options in his own life and sees the army
as an attractive means of escape. Upon deployment he finds the reality of the Iraq
war is far removed from the fantasy sold to him by the Bush administration. The
story is an analog for the experiences of many young men and women fighting in Iraq
today and the lyrics call for direct action from the government. The video by UK
Animator James Harvey uses a blend of cutting-edge digital and traditional
hand-drawn animation to illustrate the story. While it looks expensive, the video
was produced on a tight budget on a £500 ($1000) laptop computer.

Uniquely, the video has been simultaneously released in several different versions,
each with a separate audio track by a different global collaborator. Each remix
artist was asked to choose a 'flavour' to represent themselves on the website. The
standout 'mint' version features production from Holland's DJ Donor, who has
remixed artists such as Pharrell Williams, while 'Cheese' flavour is remixed by
Takashi Otagiri, the president of Tokyo Fun Party, a Japan-based dance music
collective. More remixes are to be added to the website over the coming month from
hip-hop artists from France, Germany, and both east and west coast America.

"With so many different artists coming together from so many different backgrounds
we're able to get our message out to as many people as possible, and show the world
how far-reaching and widely-held this sentiment is" says Harvey. A line from
Prysler's original rap, omitted from the video but written in text on the website,
has become a statement of intent for the global collaborators: 'this video is
dedicated to the soldiers overseas fighting for our "freedom", or whatever the
administration calls it. We hope you come home soon.'

The Video is available as a hi-res download from http://www.maudevintage.com/soldier
and can also been found on Youtube.

About The Great White Mark

Mark Prysler is the top unsigned hip-hop artist in his native Washington and is well
known in the local hip-hop community whether as a radio personality or through
making and releasing rap music. His direct, socially-conscious lyrics voice a
point-of-view under-represented in mainstream hip-hop.

About James Harvey

James Harvey is a designer and animator born in Stafford, England who has worked for
clients such as BBC2 and Google as well as drawing concept art for videogames, band
flyers and even tattoos. This is his first music video.


Web Site: http://www.maudevintage.com/soldier

Contact Details:
Contact
James Harvey
Director, 'Sorrow of the Soldier' video
jamesharvey@catjams.com
(UK) 07890480909