A Formal Investigation into Ludacris' Fake Abs

Yesterday (April 10), Ludacris birthed the music video for his new single "Vitamin D" (it's clever, you see, because you think it's about proper nutrition, but it's actually about sex!) It's fun enough, and has an extremely above-average chorus which, thanks to Ty Dolla $ign's extra vocals, is pretty reminiscent of the glory days of Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

Oh, and in the accompanying clip, Ludacris' abs look definitely normal and not at all like they were drawn for the cartoon version of him:

See? No weird abdominal business to have a waking nightmare about here!

The internet obviously hopped on this frankly alarming visual with gusto:

(I have only recently risen from the dead due to the above comparison). Ludacris himself has responded to the many, many jokes, saying he was in on the whole thing with varying degrees of convincingness (one too many cry-laughing emojis, don't you think Christopher?). So, martyrs 'til the last, we are forced to ask the important questions:

Let's examine the evidence:

Unfortunately it is pretty clear that the fake abs are there on purpose (it would be so much funnier if they were not). Though we're lead to believe that they're intentionally fake by virtue of them having sweet fuck all to do with anything that is happening in the music video, it makes sense when Luda wakes up at the end, having received surgery from some hot nurses, and looks down at his ordinary human abs, feeling blue.

There's also the fact that this isn't Ludacris' first rodeo on the massive CGI muscles front: as Twitter user @ItsRibbs points out, he had, inexplicably, an enormous arm in the video for "Get Back":

But why all the CGI, Ludacris? Even if it is a joke, you don't have to hide your real self under humor. It's okay. We love you too much for that. In fact, we'd like to issue a formal plea to you. We'd encourage you to embrace the dad bod that you inevitably have resting under all those billowing, brightly colored garments. Nothing wrong with a dad bod, my guy. Show it off. No more CGI. Let that dad bod breathe.

(Image via Ludacris on Twitter)