Ludacris’s latest music video had everyone talking when it debuted on Monday (10 April), with many singling out his less-than-convincing buff torso as a key feature of the video.
However, anyone making fun of the rapper for attempting to pass off the toned bod as his own should probably think again, as it’s actually part of a running theme in his music videos.
Yes, despite a number of publications running stories about the reaction to his newly-inflated abs, Ludacris actually has a long history of distorting his body in the visual accompaniments to his tracks.
Here, for example, is a still image from his 2004 music video ‘Get Back’, which is one of his most distinctive offerings:
Now, we can’t be sure, but we reckon there might have been a bit of digital enhancement afoot when it came to editing that one.
This came a year after he released his ‘Stand Up’ video, which culminated in this memorable scene:
Yes, that’s Ludacris photoshopped onto a baby’s body.
Who’s he trying to fool, eh? We know he’s not really a baby.
Proving the point that we’re not supposed to believe the inflated body in the ‘Vitamin D’ video is Ludacris’s own, though, is this image of his actual body… from the same video:
Looking good, Luda.
Fortunately, Ludacris has been able to see the funny side of the crossed wires, retweeting several posts from fans who’ve commented that his digitally-enhanced muscles look like they belong in a video game (or, y’know, the bakery aisle of a supermarket).
Watch the full (probably NSFW, we should add) video for ‘Vitamin D’ below: