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| Alfred Siew |
Wed, Nov 28, 2007
The Straits Times
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MDA rap video high on global 'hit' list
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A KITSCHY rap video featuring Singapore civil servants is among the fastest spreading clips on the Internet, according to a website that tracks downloads.
The video, which shows top brass of the Media Development Authority (MDA) rapping in tandem while jabbing their fingers in the air, hit No.6 on Viral Video's list of 'funny' clips.
The chart, www.viralvideochart.com, tracks how often a clip is viewed and linked from blogs around the world. It is also published on the website of Britain's Guardian newspaper.
| Other funny clips on the chart include a gorilla in a milk advertisement.
But for netizens here, the MDA video is the hottest clip online. They first picked up on the MDA Senior Management Rap last week after reports surfaced that the agency's officers had donned rapper clothes, jiggled to a hip hop beat and told people to 'get creative'.
Since then, the clip has become one of Singapore's most memorable acts since the advent of video-sharing websites.
The 10 or so copies of the MDA clip - including 'remixes' by users - have been viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube by yesterday evening, up from about 20,000 on Friday.
The clips were posted just five days ago.
Many netizens praised the civil servants for daring to be different, but felt they were trying too hard to be cool.
Project manager Chua Ping Gek, 33, who watched the video several times, said: 'I almost fell off my chair because it was so funny seeing these people dance in their suits.'
Assistant Professor Lim Sun Sun, who teaches new media studies at the National University of Singapore, said the clip spread because it was in English. 'It might not have spread as fast if they had rapped in Mandarin,' she added.
The original MDA video was made for an internal staff conference in April. It was later sent to industry members with the media regulator's annual report and put online.
Since then, the MDA website has been visited twice as often, and the agency has put its annual report online as well.
Amazed at how the video has spread, MDA communications director Cassandra Tay told The Straits Times: 'We hope it has raised greater awareness for Singapore's media industry.'
siewtha@sph.com.sg
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