Ludacris‘ latest single “Vitamin D”—a pretty solid effort, all things considered—is mainly notable for two reasons. The first is that it samples Sisqo’s Y2K-inviting classic “Thong Song.” The second is for the first few seconds of the Eif Rivera-directed video, in which the rapper-turned-film star is seen strolling along with his hoodie zipped open, revealing the most egregious example of bad CGI since Livia’s final appearance on The Sopranos, which for some reason much of Twitter believed to be some sort of mistake on Ludacris’ part.
Yesterday, the sight of Luda’s bulging CGI chest was enough to set off a number of jokes about how rappers don’t go gracefully into middle age, sparked by a tweet from the popular rap account @big_business_. Yet it was also pretty obvious that the intro was meant to be a gag, as we see Ludacris’ normal, non-enhanced chest throughout the video. Why would he fake his physique in one scene, but not others? Clearly, he couldn’t think people are that dumb. Ludacris has featured absurd physical modifications in his videos for years; the only difference here is that “Vitamin D” dropped in an era where an image entirely divorced from its context can become “news” on social media.
So, instead of celebrating his video, Ludacris, one of the funniest rappers of an era, spent his day reminding fans he has a sense of humor. Read his responses below, and watch the video.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xseqj9d7FsY%3Fecver%3D1
Do you want your own fake abs, but can’t afford CGI? Get your fake abs here for $11.81! https://t.co/WHs0IIIoZ9 pic.twitter.com/2bUJ0ReZ6T
— Ludacris (@Ludacris) April 10, 2017
Y’all ain’t fuckin wit my terrible gains! RT @luvin_hester: @MylesLGarrett you aint foolin nobody ova here. pic.twitter.com/eP6OxygTjx
— Ludacris (@Ludacris) April 11, 2017
RT @klyde_i: @Ludacris Vitamin L#vitaminD #Ludacris or#cj #SanAndreas pic.twitter.com/2HRp1x9Kcn
— Ludacris (@Ludacris) April 11, 2017
It’s ok they slow RT @chris_oneto: he’s supposed to have CGI & he looks at them at the end of the video & sees em gone. It’s intentional
— Ludacris (@Ludacris) April 11, 2017