Dennis Rodman isn't the only American entertainer that's been in North Korea recently. According to The Guardian, aspiring DC rappers Pacman and Peso have released a new music video that was filmed under the radar there, appropriately dubbed "Escape to North Korea." The rappers had barely been outside their own communities in Washington DC before deciding to head to the country known for rocky relations with America.
The idea for the video began when they met Ramsey Aburdene, a 25-year-old Washington-based investment banker who liked their music. He eventually became their manager and inspired them hatch a plan to get into North Korea with the help of his friend who used to be in the military and specialized in getting people into Pyongyang.
The duo began a fundraising campaign to raise money for the trip. The campaign went viral, and they raised more than enough to purchase plane tickets with a total of $10,400 on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter.
The video is filmed inside Pyongyang's metropolitan area (near the demilitarized zone that boarders South Korea), on a rice farm in the countryside, and in front of notable monuments in the city, including Kumsusan Palace of the Sun (Kim Il-sungs' mausoleum).
To get into North Korea, the group first took a tour through Asian countries including China, Hong Kong and Mongolia. Once they arrived in North Korea, they traveled under the cover of a sightseeing tour for five days. Each day, they would get on a tour bus and go to different locations across the country. They filmed the video on a small Canon camera, filming segments when officals weren't paying attention. They didn't have the luxury of microphones, headphones or amplified music, so they just had to improvise. "We were just spitting the voice that was in our head," Peso told The Guardian. "It was just work, work, work, non-stop."
The two rappers were originally nervous they wouldn't make it out. They had to turn down an interview with the BBC to make sure officials stayed unaware of their true plans.
"All the buzz we were getting, I thought we were gonna get hemmed up, captured," Pacman told them. Peso agreed saying, "I was like, 'uh-oh. Are we gonna make it?'"
Luckily, the Pacman and Peso have made it home safely. Read the full story in The Guardian, and check out their finished product here. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
