Isaiah Rashad kicked off his Coachella performance with a video montage addressing speculation about a sex taped that was leaked online earlier this year.
The original video footage showed two men having sex, with social media users claiming Rashad was in the video.
While the 30-year-old rapper did not comment on the authenticity of the video at the time or comment on his sexuality, he opened his Coachella show with a compilation of people including Joe Budden, The Game, DJ Akademiks and suggesting that an attempt to out him had backfired and only got him more support.
“The purpose of doing that was to embarrass him,” one person says in the video. “However, it backfired. When his video leaked, his streams and everything went up. He’s up on the charts now.”
Another person said: “I’m glad that he can finally be himself.”
Soon after the montage, Rashad entered the stage and thanked his fans who “kept [him] alive these last couple of months”.
“I see all the messages and all the positivity... Y’all kept me alive these last couple of months,” he said.
Rashad released his album The House Is Buring in July last year. The album features many top artists such as 6LACK, SZA, Lil Uzi Vert, and Smino.
You can follow live updates from Coachella, where day three is currently underway, here.
