This morning, stories on social media started circulating with a hefty dose of both concern and speculation after rapper Waka Flocka Flame posted a photo on Threads showing his face bruised and battered, with the caption claiming he had been attacked by ten men in a violent altercation.

In the post, he said:

"Can’t believe nobody helped me fight ten nixxas off but I’m still standing ten toes marks"

View on Threads

Multiple hip-hop news outlets—Hot97, The Source, and others—reported on the story. Headlines described “harrowing injuries” and shared quotes from followers who voiced everything from sympathy to harsh criticism. One user commented that Waka “should have used those ten toes and ran,” while another remarked on his political affiliations, questioning where his supporters were when the alleged attack happened.

After just a few hours though, the narrative turned when the Atlanta rapper flipped the table on everybody, revealing that the entire story was fabricated. Some stage makeup, camera angles, and a few well-chosen words had been enough to fool thousands.

The immediate conversation shifted to why Waka pulled such a stunt. In follow-up posts, he wrote about how quickly misinformation can travel and chastised media outlets for not verifying the story with him or his team. Some fans took the message as a clever lesson about #FakeNews; others saw it as an attention grab or a commentary on how easily narratives can be manipulated.

In subsequent posts, Waka Flocka noted that “the internet be so quick to believe” and scolded outlets for failing to reach out before running sensational headlines. By orchestrating the hoax, it seems his intent was to raise eyebrows around the power that photos and social media can wield when given a single, dramatic caption. Many who initially rushed to judge or sympathize now find themselves second-guessing their ability to accept news stories they see at face value.

In Waka Flocka’s own words:

"Life can be a movie or a reality… all how you look at it.. remember do yo research 🤣 confirm yo facts… most importantly dont let em manipulate… cuz I just showed yall how easy it is to create a fake narrative outta a picture 😅😂 #flockfacts"