Image via Complex Original
Parody accounts and people posing as musicians, actors, athletes, and comedians on Twitter is nothing new. Some are more clever than others (who can forget @drakesknee?), but the best ones are those that blur the line between real and fake. Add an extra L on to @meekmill or assume Nelly is @nelly, and you might find yourself in a Twitter land of posers and parodies. Here are the fake Twitter accounts to avoid.
brokencool is a writer living in Toronto. Follow him @brokencool.
The Real Kendrick Has One “N”
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Fake Twitter Account: @KenndrickLamar
Real Twitter Account: @kendricklamar
If you're looking to tweet Kendrick Lamar and tell him how much you're feeling “The Blacker the Berry,” don't be fooled by the extra “n" in @kenndricklamar. This parody account (the No. 1 parody account in respect to the TDE star) is mostly made up of auto-retweeting other parody accounts along with random thoughts like “Show no emotion. Feel no pain.”
Not Quite “Country Grammar”
Artist: Nelly
Fake Twitter Account: @nelly
Real Twitter Account: @Nelly_Mo
Rapper Nelly can blame Alice from Wellington, New Zealand, for having to have that awkward @Nelly_Mo Twitter handle. You see, Alice is the proud owner of @nelly. And it would seem Alice has had her fair share of thirsty Nelly groupies tweeting her because she has resorted to writing the following in her Twitter bio: “Sorry, I don't rap or sing. I'll make you a cup of tea if you like though.” Judging by some of the music Nelly has been making over the past few years, the cup of tea might be the better option derrty!
They Call Me Willy…Just Not That One
Artist: will.i.am
Fake Twitter Account: @william
Real Twitter Account: @iamwill
will.i.am is a white pirate? That's what you might be thinking if you visit the @william Twitter profile. Now, while the Tweets are protected, the pirate photo and 105 followers should tip off any half-intelligent tweeter that this isn't the Twitter account of the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am. The real will resides @iamwill and is going places they don't allow pirates…like Harrods and the World Economic Forum.
Do Ma$e Got the Twitter Account? No, No…
Artist: Ma$e
Fake Twitter Account: @HarlemMase
Real Twitter Account: N/A
Ma$e do what he best in, rappin', tweetin'…well, not tweetin'. The Harlem World rapper is absent from Twitter, but that hasn’t stopped fake accounts from being created. @harlemmase is the one likely to cause the most confusion. Not updated since 2012, the account went so far as to tweet "And yes this is the official Ma$e Twitter.” One would have to assume Ma$e's Instagram debacle may prevent him from getting too social in the future.
I'm Will Smith…Wait, No You're Not
Artist: Will Smith
Fake Twitter Account: @imwillsmith
Real Twitter Account: N/A
No, you're not. Although @imwillsmith is a generally positive account tweeting out encouraging messages to some 457k followers like “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” the real Will Smith (a.k.a. the Fresh Prince) doesn't have a Twitter account. To make things even more confusing, you might stumble on the verified account @iwillsmith. This also doesn't belong to the actor Will Smith but rather Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Will Smith of the New England Patriots.
How Long You Tweet the Wrong Account? All Day!
Artist: Kanye West
Fake Twitter Account: @kanyewset
Real Twitter Account: @kanyewest
Careful to check your spelling before you catch the feels after listening to the “All Day” CDQ and tweet to Kanye West “this is the most amazing shit I've ever heard in my life.” If you happen to put the “s” and the “e” in the wrong order on “West,” you'll find yourself confessing your most inner fangirl/boy thoughts to @kanyewset. The parody account has 108k followers and frequently interjects itself into the Twitter stream at the height of Kanye moments (see the recent Grammys example here. It further confuses tweeters by mimicking the real @kanyewest's avatar.
They Both Have Emojis…But Only One is the Real Drake
Artist: Drake
Fake Twitter Account: @drakenyc
Real Twitter Account: @drake
From @Drakkardnoir to @Drake to…@drakenyc? Not exactly; the last handle is a parody account of the 6ix rapper featuring retweets of other parody accounts along with emo messages such as “I honestly just miss you…” Overall, the account isn't exactly amusing. If you're looking for a different Drake fix, try @thingsdrakedo where hilarity ensues with such tweets as “Drake the type of n*gga to say 'sorry' to a egg before he cracks it.”
Let's Hope Nicki Is DM'ing the Correct Meek
Artist: Meek Mill
Fake Twitter Account: @meekmilll
Real Twitter Account: @meekmill
Don't take an “L” when tweeting to Meek Mill and add an extra L on the end. If you do, you'll end up tweeting @meekmilll, an account that hasn't sent out a tweet since 2011. Judging by previous tweets, it would appear the person behind the account was trying to pass themselves off as the MMG rapper. The person has even sent out a tweet to Rick Ross (we'll assume Ricky didn't respond). If you're lookin' for the real Meek, follow Nicki Mina…we mean @meekmill.
I Wonder if the Fake Young Thug Raps More Clearly
Artist: Young Thug
Fake Twitter Account: @realyoungthug
Real Twitter Account: @youngthug
Note to fans of inaudible rap music: The @realyoungthug Twitter account is fake. The account, which labels itself as a parody account, will lead tweeters to a series of random tweets of everything from “When bae…” photos to funny Vines. If you're looking for the real Young Thug, head over to @youngthug where you'll be confronted with tweets of everything from a grown man wearing women's blouses to shameless pre-order iTunes links.