Why do 6ix9ine fans think he has a boyfriend?

A new misleading image is doing the rounds on social media but, for a change, this one has nothing to do with AI.

Instead, this (very real) photo has sparked a swirl of rumours concerning rapper 6ix9ine’s sexuality.

The picture shows 6ix9ine (who also goes by Tekashi69), planting a kiss on the cheek of Mexican singer Eduin Caz, from the band GroupoFirme.

It went viral after website Pop Tingz shared it to its Twitter account with the caption: “6ix9ine reveals boyfriend.”

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The tweet racked up more than 7.9 million views and 3,570 likes in less than a day as streams of commentators remarked that they “weren’t surprised” by the revelation.

Except that it wasn’t a revelation at all, just proof of the power of a sensationalist headline.

In fact, Caz posted the original picture to his Instagram account to mark the release of a new collaboration between Groupo Firme and 6ix9ine.

Their track, ‘Y ahora’, is a love song about… a woman. And if you watch the music video, you’ll see the two men getting up-close and personal with a couple of scantily clad ladies.

And yet, social media users love to consider themselves masters of hints and easter eggs, so apparently the fact 6ix9ine sports rainbow-coloured braids is enough to suggest he’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Others took the opportunity to fuel the rumour that the rapper has indulged in gay porn – under an alias – and that his sex tape was leaked to the internet.

However, according to AllHipHop, the actor in said X-rated movie bears merely a passing resemblance to the rapper.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old admitted to having a girlfriend on Instagram just three days ago when he posted a gushing birthday tribute to model Ariiela Lalangosta.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BESTFRIEND [sic] IN THE WORLD,” he wrote in the caption to a video showing him kissing Lalangosta and showering her with cash.

“My girlfriend won’t get mad but we just friends she knows that,” he added.

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