Heath Ledger's rap video released online

Heath Ledger fans who are waiting on needles and pins for the actor’s final screen appearance in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus now have something to tide them over before that film’s release later this year.

Rapper N'fa Forster-Jones – who records under the moniker No Fixed Abode – released a video today that was directed by Ledger, the gifted actor who died of an accidental overdose in January 2008.

The Ledger-helmed clip, for a No Fixed Abode single called Cause An Effect, features all kinds of striking, surreal flourishes, starting with a stark image of a blinking white eyeball against a jet-black backdrop that looks pulled straight from a French dada film. When viewed alongside one of Ledger’s previous directorial efforts – a terrific video for Modest Mouse’s King Rat – Cause An Effect serves as another bittersweet reminder of Ledger’s many artistic gifts.

In addition to releasing Cause An Effect on his MySpace and YouTube pages, N’fa is also offering up an accompanying “Making of” video. It’s worth checking out to hear the rapper describe his longtime friendship with Ledger and recall the “really cool day” when they teamed up to make the video, which was recorded inside of Ledger’s garage. N’fa speaks for many of us near clip’s end, when he says of Heath, “I wish you were here.”

--Lee Ferguson