The YouTube video "Rappin' for Jesus" appears to be a satirical piece created by a person using the alias Brian Spinney. The video's backstory, which claims it was created in the 90s or early 2000s as a low-budget church outreach production, is likely fabricated. Evidence suggests that the church, the performers, and the website are all fake, created specifically for the video. The creator's use of a stock photo from 2012 and the simultaneous creation of the YouTube channel and fake church website in 2013 support this theory. Despite the video's likely intention as satire, it has become a legendary piece of YouTube content, with many still debating its authenticity.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. "Rappin' for Jesus" was uploaded to YouTube on February 5th, 2013.
2. The video was supposedly uploaded by a man named Brian Spinney.
3. The video is a music video featuring a pastor and his wife performing a Christian-themed rap song.
4. The video has gained over 59 million views since its upload.
5. The video's metadata and description suggest that it was created by a church's youth outreach program.
6. The video's website, supposedly for the church, was registered on January 15th, 2013.
7. The website's content suggests that the church closed its doors in 2004.
8. There is no evidence of a church by the name "West Dubuque Second Church of Christ" in Iowa.
9. The performers in the video, Pastor Jim Cole Rick and his wife Mary Sue, do not exist.
10. The photo used in the video was taken from a stock photo website and was first used in late 2012 or early 2013.
11. Brian Spinney's YouTube channel was created on January 15th, 2013, the same day as the church's website.
12. A Bandcamp page was created for "Rappin' for Jesus" in 2013.