Considering the number of shootings the rap community has weathered in recent weeks, a death hoax couldn’t be more ill timed. But on Saturday night (November 13), someone tweeted a photoshopped Los Angeles Times article with a headline claiming Drake had died and pandemonium ensued.
The hashtag #RIPDrake quickly started making the rounds, causing panic, confusion, fear and, naturally, some outrageous memes. Of course, the Toronto rap star is very much alive and simply the latest victim of an internet death hoax.
Several rappers have experienced this phenomenon in the past, some multiple times. Silento, famous for his viral 2015 song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was killed off in June 2018 following a stabbing at a Los Angeles bar.
His publicist quickly laid the rumor to rest in a statement to HipHopDX that read, “Silento is alive and well and readying to release his new studio album ‘Fresh Outta High School. Unfortunately, Silento’s phone was compromised and the proper actions are being put in place on the perpetrator. “
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Then in 2016, Kanye West was rumored to have been replaced by a clone because the real ‘Ye had passed away. Fans concluded his erratic behavior that year — which included his now-infamous rant about JAY-Z and Beyoncé — didn’t really come from him.
Despite the seriousness of the topic, the memes were hilarious — although some people didn’t find the joke to be funny at all.
Check out some of the reactions below.
