DESPITE ROUTINELY getting roasted in his own comment sections, Drake has continued to post a steady stream of shirtless pics. His latest post features the rapper shirtless on a rooftop, drink in hand, abs glistening in a lather of oil. It’s a classic thirst trap, and it appears to have achieved its desired affect.
“Welcome to the era of every action has a reaction,” Drake captioned the post. “This action is certainly giving me a reaction,” reads the top comment. Point made.
But for every thirsty comment, there’s another calling out Drake’s so-called ‘fake abs’. This is not the first time this has happened. Drake has a habit of showing off his torso, and he clearly isn’t put off by the negative comments. But the question remains: are Drake’s abs real?
The rumours surrounding Drake’s abs began in 2016, when Joe Budden made headlines after claiming that Drake had secretly visited famed plastic surgeon Dr Miami, who is known for working with celebrities. When questioned about his jab at Drake’s abs, Budden replied, “Cuz he saw Dr. Miami & didn’t tell y’all…. HipHop weird now lol.”
Then in 2019, after Drake posted another ab shot, DJ Carnage teased him in a comment. Carnage joked, “You got fake ab surgery in Colombia. You ain’t fooling anybody.”
Following this, Kendrick Lamar reignited the conversation during his high-profile feud with Drake in 2024. On the track ‘Euphoria’ Kendrick said, “Let your core audience stomach that, then tell ’em where you get your abs from.”
But despite the rumours, there is no actual concrete evidence of Drake getting cosmetic surgery. It’s just speculation at this point. That said, for someone who loves posting his abs, we rarely see Drake sharing footage of himself in the gym, putting in the work required to build them.
There is a more simple question at play here: can you actually get chiselled abs through surgery? Yes, you can. It’s done through a procedure called abdominal etching. It’s a type of cosmetic surgery that uses targeted liposuction to give the appearance of a six-pack. However, instead of just removing fat, the procedure carefully shapes it around the abdominal muscles to create more visible lines and definition, to form what is essentially a fake six-pack.
Abdominal etching is typically done on people who already have a relatively low body fat percentage and higher overall muscle mass, as the results can look unnatural if the rest of the body doesn’t match.
Drake is in pretty good shape, but commenters have noticed that he doesn’t have a body fat percentage low enough to get visible abs, with his obliques in particular appearing much less defined.
Of course, it goes without saying that surgery doesn’t replace a healthy lifestyle. Some of those who have had the surgery feel conflicted about not earning their abs through nutrition and exercise, and many hide the fact they’ve had surgery due to social stigma. And with the slew of comments Drake has received, whether he has had the procedure or not, we don’t blame him for his silence on the matter.
