Straight Outta Oldham

A middle-aged couple from Oldham have been bombarded with calls from fans asking to speak to US rap artist Soulja Boy.

Soulja Boy: as seen leaving the Costcutter

For over a month, Gerry Matley and his wife Catriona Howard Smith have been getting about 60 calls a day from fans hoping to talk to the 18-year-old star. As reported by the BBC, the rapper included the ex-directory number in his latest hit, Kiss Me Thru The Phone.

"We just tell them that he doesn't live in Oldham," 52-year-old Ms Howard Smith said. "They have asked if I am his girlfriend but I think I am a bit too old. They insist that we must know him in some way, we have to be 'special' to him. Some of them are devastated when we have to tell them that he doesn't live in Oldham."

If the number is dialled with the American international code in front, fans hear a recorded message from the rapper. Ms Howard Smith noted, "we just hope the fuss will die down soon - we can't even change our number because Gerry needs it for work."

Mr Matley, 54, added: "I mean, with my looks and my accent, I fit the perfect profile for a rapper from Oldham."