Drake Isn't The Only Rapper To Have A NSFW Full-Frontal Leak
It's a terrible violation of an artist's privacy, but when a nude photo or video of a rapper like Drake leaks, it can generate more excitement on the internet than a surprise record drop. And thanks to social media, it doesn't take long for explicit images to end up in front of millions of eyeballs. This puts the exposed musicians in the uncomfortable position of knowing that their intimate areas are being scrutinized, discussed, and meme-ified by those who are not ashamed to admit that they took a peek.
Then there's the issue of how to respond to these potentially embarrassing leaks. When numerous celebrities had their personal photos stolen by hackers in 2014, some victims got litigious and worked hard to get them wiped from the web, while others attempted to shrug it off and move on. "The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco reacted by posting a pixelated pic on Instagram that made it appear that she was topless. "I took it in my own hands and made a joke about it because, you know, what are you gonna do?" she said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (via Yahoo). However, the situation was serious enough that PR experts were having to assure Variety that the leaks wouldn't do any damage to the (mostly female) victims' careers. That's also proved to be the case with a number of male rappers, some of whom were just as chill as Cuoco when the world saw them unclothed.
Fans did GAF when Drake's purported nude video leaked
Some of Champagne Papi's fans were popping the virtual champagne when a NSFW video of the "IDGAF" hitmaker began circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter. But when others saw Drake's name trending, they were getting their AirPods ready. "Wait I thought I was gonna see some new Drake leaked songs," one person tweeted. Instead, what they saw was a man believed to be the "Know Yourself" singer getting intimate with himself in a bed. According to Page Six, he's leaning against a headboard that looks suspiciously identical to one that has been spied inside Drake's private jet.
The origin of the video remains a mystery as of this writing, but some X conspiracy theorists believe it could be Drake's response to Megan Thee Stallion's song "Hiss," which includes what may be a Drizzy diss. (Think of the shape of the animal that makes a hissing sound.) According to Complex, Megan seems to allude to internet speculation that Drake got a BBL. But after the video leak, the internet stopped gossiping about that rumor and started gawping at a different part of the rapper's body. One X user suggested that the Drake video might even be what finally breaks the app.
If Drake's friend Adin Ross is to be believed, he contacted the singer and told him he was "blessed" upon seeing the video. "He just texted me. He put eight laughing emojis," the YouTube streamer said of Drake's response.
Kanye West's nude photos got rejected by Playgirl
Before Kanye West convinced Bianca Censori to parade around in public in almost no clothing, and even before he featured a naked wax figure of his nemesis Taylor Swift in his "Famous" music video, he was the victim of a nude photo leak. "These pics have been floating around since he hit so many girls up on MySpace," a source told Radar of their origin. "He probably sent them to many, many women."
Ye confirmed their authenticity during a 2010 appearance on Hot 97, and he didn't seem fazed that the pics were now preserved for posterity on the internet. He cracked a joke about his song "Runaway," in which he sings about sending women naked photos. "I only rap reality," he said (via BET). Ye only had one complaint about the images: They didn't show the "I Am a God" singer in all his glory. "You cannot imagine how disappointed I was that I got cut off."
Someone in possession of the photos was trying to sell them to various publications, including Playgirl. A representative for the magazine told E! News that the asking price was $100,000 and that they declined to pay this amount. However, the regretful rep added, "We should have said yes." According to adult film star Lisa Ann, she didn't have to do any negotiating to obtain nude pics from Ye himself; in 2016, she tweeted that he had sent them to her unsolicited.
Tyga enlisted the FBI's help to find his photo leaker
In 2015, Love B Scott reported that it had received nude photos of Tyga via email. The unidentified entity who sent the email included what appeared to be screengrabs of text messages between the "Taste" rapper and actress Mia Isabella, who was the purported original recipient of the pics. According to the emailer, the texts were evidence that Tyga had cheated on his exes Blac Chyna and Kylie Jenner with Isabella.
Tyga's attorney, Lee Hutton, confirmed that the photos were legit but said that the rest of the story was a false claim. According to Hutton, someone believed they could "shame" Tyga by linking him to Isabella because she's transgender. "The allegations are false and socially irresponsible during a time when many Americans are celebrating equality," Hutton told TMZ.
Isabella also responded to the Love B Scott report, revealing that she found it hurtful. "I'm sad that our beautiful community is still treated like second-rate individuals by some and used to create negative publicity," she told Us Weekly in a statement.
According to a TMZ update, Isabella's rep said that she did not send the email to Love B Scott, and Tyga's attorney seemed to agree that she wasn't at fault. His theory was that a hacker had stolen the photos, and he told TMZ that the FBI was investigating the matter. If the culprit was found, it appears that their identity was never made public.
DMX's X-rated run
In 2013, TMZ shared censored footage of late rapper DMX in the hallway of a Detroit hotel. He was clad in nothing but his boxer shorts and socks when he strolled past a hotel worker pushing a food cart. After hiding behind a corner out of the employee's view, DMX stopped, dropped his boxers, and shot down the hall. (So that's how Ruff Ryders roll!) Some of his pals were out in the hallway and seemed to find his X-rated sprint hilarious.
TMZ later ambushed the rapper at an airport. While speaking about his streaking, DMX offered a simple explanation for why he had decided to strip down in public: "I got a big-ass d***, and I like to show it." He also shared that it was something his companions had dared him to do.
DMX later discussed the nude run when he appeared on "Dr. Phil," explaining that he had agreed to appear on the talk show because he wanted people to see that there was more to him than what they saw in the tabloids. He told Dr. Phil that ordering room service had been part of the dare. "I'm like, 'I'll do that,'" he recalled. He also asked the members of the audience if any of them had run down a hallway in the buff after being dared to do so and guessed that about 30 percent of them raised their hands.
Soulja Boy couldn't sell 'em without a leak
In 2022, NSFW photos from Soulja Boy's OnlyFans were leaked on X. Rather than scold whoever tweeted the content for giving it away for free, the "Yahhh!" rapper shared a link to his OnlyFans page with his followers, presumably in the hopes that they'd pay to see more. He also started retweeting flattering comments about the photos, including those that had to be exponentially increasing the size of his ego by complementing the size of his, er, little Draco.
According to Hot New Hip Hop, the flood of thirsting helped Soulja Boy become a top trend on the platform. "Fellas, if you see your girl flipping her phone upside down to look at something on Twitter just know it's Soulja Boy. Don't ask any question but go check your credit card statement," one user quipped. You best believe there were also so, so many "Crank That" jokes. "That picture I just seen of @souljaboy, yea I'll kiss it through the phone fasho," read a tweet inspired by a different Soulja Boy track.
This actually wasn't the first time a nude photo of Big Draco caused an internet frenzy. In 2012, he became his own leaker when he posted a NSFW pic on Tumblr by mistake. The rapper later removed it and wrote, "I apologize to ever [sic] seen that, accident" (via the Toronto Sun).