For the skeptics, Phoenix says he's serious about his new line of work. Music, he told PEOPLE, is his real love.

"After all the years of reading scripts and reading lines, this is my chance to do something straight from the heart and put it out there," he said. And why hip-hop? "When I was young I liked punk rock music but then I discovered rap. I love the storytelling aspect of hip-hop."

I have a theory for you - got thinking about it when I received a message on my myspace page from someone who may or may not have been Joaquin Phoenix (probably wasn't)...

Back in 2005, when Walk The Line came out, it made it's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. For some reason, I was asked to be the "entertainment" at the party for the cast and crew that followed the screening. I did a cover of Cash's Austin Prison with the help of Ron Sexsmith and then a short set of my own stuff. Mr. Phoenix was there.

Did he see me do my thing, become inspired and decide right then and there that was what he wanted to do? Possible? Who knows...