The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights (found Degrassi/UNICEF video co-production; 1989): Difference between revisions

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|image=Degrassi Rap On Rights Still 2.png
|image=Degrassi Rap On Rights Still 2.png
|imagecaption=A still from the video that inexplicably appeared in an Instagram post by Retrokid promoting a line of ''Degrassi'' merch. Amanda Stepto, narrator of the video, is wearing a UNICEF shirt in the center
|imagecaption=A still from the video that inexplicably appeared in an Instagram post by Retrokid promoting a line of ''Degrassi'' merch. Amanda Stepto, narrator of the video, is wearing a UNICEF shirt in the center
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
}}
}}
'''''The Degrassi Kids Rap on Rights''''' was a ten-minute video produced by Playing With Time Inc, in co-operation with UNICEF, in 1989, coinciding with the November 20th, 1989 ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a tie-in to the Canadian teen drama television series ''Degrassi High'', which had begun airing on CBC following ''Degrassi Junior High''. The video was distributed to schools throughout Ontario and nationwide. The video appears to exist, but it has never been publicly uploaded online.
'''''The Degrassi Kids Rap on Rights''''' is  a ten-minute video produced by Playing With Time Inc, in co-operation with UNICEF, in 1989, coinciding with the November 20th, 1989 ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a tie-in to the Canadian teen drama television series ''Degrassi High'', which had begun airing on CBC following ''Degrassi Junior High''.  
 
The video is presented by Amanda Stepto, who played Spike, the teenage mother of Emma Nelson (who would become a central character in later installments). While rapping is mentioned in the title, it bookends the video, which largely concentrates on ''Degrassi'' actors of varying nationalities recounting their childhood experiences in wars and natural disasters, with screen time also given to other issues such as drugs, and children's rights in general.
 
The video was distributed to schools throughout Ontario and nationwide. While the video was confirmed to exist physically in an Ontario university library, very little evidence of it existed online aside from passing mentions found in an official ''Degrassi'' book and in newspaper archives. On November 3, 2022, Spike
 
On November 2, 2022, a member of the Degrassi Preservation Server on Discord received screen-recorded footage of the full video from a contact, which was later posted on YouTube as a premiere.


==Background==
==Background==
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==Videos==
==Videos==
{{Video|perrow  =1
{{Video|perrow  =1
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =avhVzZ4JhUo
  |description1 =The video (screen-recorded).
}}
{{Video|perrow  =2
   |service1    =youtube
   |service1    =youtube
   |id1          =k5aOwx8m7hI
   |id1          =k5aOwx8m7hI

Revision as of 09:48, 3 November 2022

Degrassi Rap On Rights Still 2.png

A still from the video that inexplicably appeared in an Instagram post by Retrokid promoting a line of Degrassi merch. Amanda Stepto, narrator of the video, is wearing a UNICEF shirt in the center

Status: Found

The Degrassi Kids Rap on Rights is a ten-minute video produced by Playing With Time Inc, in co-operation with UNICEF, in 1989, coinciding with the November 20th, 1989 ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a tie-in to the Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi High, which had begun airing on CBC following Degrassi Junior High.

The video is presented by Amanda Stepto, who played Spike, the teenage mother of Emma Nelson (who would become a central character in later installments). While rapping is mentioned in the title, it bookends the video, which largely concentrates on Degrassi actors of varying nationalities recounting their childhood experiences in wars and natural disasters, with screen time also given to other issues such as drugs, and children's rights in general.

The video was distributed to schools throughout Ontario and nationwide. While the video was confirmed to exist physically in an Ontario university library, very little evidence of it existed online aside from passing mentions found in an official Degrassi book and in newspaper archives. On November 3, 2022, Spike

On November 2, 2022, a member of the Degrassi Preservation Server on Discord received screen-recorded footage of the full video from a contact, which was later posted on YouTube as a premiere.

Background

Degrassi is a long-running Canadian teen drama franchise that primarily focuses on an ensemble cast of middle to high schoolers confronting various coming-of-age issues. It has gone through several iterations since 1979, two of them including Degrassi Junior High (1987-89) and Degrassi High (1989-91), which aired to large numbers on the CBC and kickstarted the franchise's success and notoriety.

In 1989, UNICEF director of communications Srinka Wallia approached the Degrassi producers, hoping that one of its actors could become an ambassador for UNICEF's Ontario branch. However, she was offered the entire cast (which comprised a repertory company) instead. The Degrassi cast appeared at public events, helped promote literacy, and did televised PSAs.

Content

The video, which runs for ten minutes, takes place in the Degrassi High cafeteria and allegedly consists of multi-ethnic extras from the cast speaking about their experiences in their home countries. It was narrated by Amanda Stepto, who played the spiky-haired teen mother Christine "Spike" Nelson.

Availability

The existence of the video was mentioned in a Playing With Time newsletter, and in the book The Official 411: Degrassi Generations, written by Kathryn Ellis and released in 2005. However, despite the video allegedly being distributed to Canadian schools, the video has never been uploaded online, or available physically, except for one copy at the Queens University Documents Library in Kingston, Ontario.[1]

A brief excerpt, featuring character BLT (Dayo Ade) rapping about being the "number one dude on Degrassi", is seen in The Degrassi Story documentary, that aired on CTV in 2005 and was hosted by long-running Degrassi actor Stefan Brogren. In 2022, two stills from the video inexplicably surfaced; the first in the July section of a 2022 calendar sold by Degrassi Tour (a business run by actor Pat Mastroianni), and the second in an Instagram post by Toronto-based company Retrokid promoting a Degrassi merch collab (fifth image in the referenced link).[2]

Gallery

Videos

The video (screen-recorded).

Excerpt from The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights from the CTV Degrassi Story documentary in 2005.

Reference