The 'Rollercoaster' video tells the story of a young man who takes his own life after he mistakenly thinks his best friend and girl friend have started a relationship, when actually they are planning a birthday party for him. The video is available to watch now on SBTV, as well as Unilad Facebook and CALM website. Rapman and Jamal Edwards MBE created the video after Rapman discovered a friend of his had seriously considered taking his own life and Jamal suggested Rapman create a video to raise awareness for male suicide.Jamal Edwards MBE, founder and CEO of SBTV stated: "Rapman told me about his friend and we had a chat and came up with this video. Male suicide is a very important issue that desperately needs more attention and I'm glad SBTV can help and encourage men to reach out to their friends, family or support charities if they are feeling depressed or suicidal."
Rapman stated: “I began to remember a friend of mine who started getting really depressed over a snowball of events including himself losing his job and his girlfriend. I knew he was down but just thought it was a faze until one night he called me contemplating suicide. I thought he was joking but soon sensed his tone and realised it was serious. He told me he had been taking antidepressant medication for a while and had nothing worth living for. I sat on the phone to him for hours telling him things will be ok and he will eventually find a new partner and job. I went over there and after a lot of heart to hearts managed to talk him off the ledge. Months down the line he took me out to tell me thank you that he's got a new job and girlfriend and if it wasn't for my words, he really would of killed himself. So I figured how many other people are in this situation. I could tell this story with a twist and help someone else”.SBTV and CALM also jointly launched a call to action social media hashtag #dontbeastatistic which will be used by users to show their support for 'Rollercoaster' across social media and also by CALM to highlight future music video campaigns supporting male suicide prevention.
Jane Powell CEO of Calm stated: "In 2014, 76% of suicides were male, and suicide currently stands as the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in this country. That's why it's so important that artists such as Rapman and media platforms like SBTV and Unilad raise awareness for this endemic issue and spread the message that you don't have to be a statistic; reach out to friends, family and our support network if you are feeling suicidal.”
The 'Rollercoaster' video also features as part of CALM and Lynx's Bigger Issues campaign, which peaks today with a social media thunderclap, inviting people to tweet and encourage conversation about male suicide. Check out the website: http://www.biggerissues.co.uk
100% of all income received by SBTV from YouTube views of the “Rollercoaster” video will be paid through to CALM.
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