From Tupac to JAY Z, here are the rappers accused of being “illuminati celebrities” in the secret society, & the (somewhat flimsy) evidence to prove it.

If you’re a rapper in 2018 and haven’t been accused of being in the Illuminati, then are you really even a rapper at all?

The secret society’s place in hip-hop culture, and hip-hop’s obsession with it, can be traced all the way back to 1995, when Prodigy of Mobb Deep dropped this line on the remix to LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya”:

“Illuminati want my mind, soul and my body/ Secret society, trying to keep they eye on me/ But I’ma stay incogni’, in places they can’t find me.”

It was the first time the organization was mentioned on a hip-hop track, and the rest, as they say, is history. Hip-hop has always articulated the struggles of everyday life, as well as the grind to make it out of certain situations and counteract the oppressive systems in currently in place. The coy mention of a secret society, then, one that exists to manipulate society and determine what (and who) can be successful, speaks to these ideas.

But as the Illuminati began receiving mentions on wax, rappers also began facing accusations of being apart of the so-called New World Order themselves as we moved into the 21st century. “Eminem is sacrificing his career for the Illuminati,” one super creepy video asserts. “Tupac faked his death to escape the grasp of the Illuminati,” others proposed.

As hip-hop spoke of their fears of the secret society in the ‘90s, the dawn of the Internet and the digital age completely intensified the narrative. Now fans with a taste for conspiracies and a keen eye began concocting a new theory: Rappers were no longer skeptical of the Illuminati.

They were full on members. YouTube videos breaking down Illuminati symbolism in music videos began to pop up. Anything a rapper wore was scoured for secret messages referencing the Illuminati, and any inadvertent hand signal was interpreted as a gesture toward their all-powerful masters.

As most conspiracy theories go, this one doesn’t exactly have a solid foundation—but that doesn’t stop people from believing in it. These are all of the rappers accused of being in the Illuminati. Sleep one eye up.

Kanye West

Much of the lore surrounding Kanye West’s connection to the Illuminati stems from the video for his song “Power,” released in 2010. From the very first shot of the video, which features a close up of West’s face, his eyes aglow and backed by a series of columns, Illuminati conspirators came out in full force.

“His eyes are illuminated!” they said. “And those columns represent a Masonic temple!” And on and on it went, from West’s Horus chain (which, to Illuminati conspirators, symbolizes royal protection and immense power) to the devil horns atop the heads of the women in the video.

‘Ye then famously addressed the loudening Illuminati rumors on a guest verse for T.I.’s “Welcome to the World”:

“People ask me shit about the Illuminati/ First off, fuck that mean?/ He loved Jesus when he he he was worse off, oh I see/ When they think a n***a is stupid rich/ People just start coming up with stupid shit”

Kanye’s rebuke didn’t exactly calm the storm. In 2015, when Kanye joined JAY Z, Rihanna, Madonna, and Nicki Minaj on stage during a press conference to introduce Tidal, Twitter users shouted that this was actually a public meeting of the Illuminati. The rumors got so loud, ‘Ye felt the need to write a letter in Paper Magazine stating explicitly that not only was he not in the Illuminati, but that the organization doesn’t even exist in the first place. Sounds like something someone in the Illuminati would say, TBH.

Lil Wayne

In a photo shoot with Interview Magazine in 2013, Wayne rocked a snapback with an upside down cross on it, an imagine that is closely associated with the devil for obvious reasons. That’s where the “Wayne is in the Illuminati!” rumors began, and Wayne only stoked those flames when he got a tattoo of the all-seeing Eye of Providence on his chin.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj loves to rap as different characters, complete with accents and varying personalities. Her use of alter-egos has led people to believe that Minaj has been “possessed” when she slips into them, and is being influenced by a higher power—a.k.a. the Illuminati.

Minaj’s performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards, which included an “exorcism,” only furthered rumors that she was commenting on the control the Illuminati has over the world.

Pusha T

Soon after the release of Daytona, a 10-minute video on YouTube asked, “Did Pusha T take the Illuminati oath?” The video references Pusha’s summer performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which featured a backdrop with an eye. Later, a red and black cross appeared atop the eye, all while Pusha rapped the song “If You Know, You Know”—an Illuminati conspiracy theorist’s dream.

This isn’t the first time King Push had been accused of being part of the secret society, though. While on Sway in the Morning in 2013, defending Kanye West from similar accusations, Pusha revealed that his own mother had asked him if he was a member of the group.

Eminem

From placing his hand atop his head in the symbol of devil’s horns on the single cover for “Berzerk” to covering one eye in multiple photo shoots throughout his career, Marshall Mathers has done little to quell rumors of his Illuminati association.

Some have gone so far as to attribute his massive success to a mission by the Illuminati themselves. Em’s mention of the New World Order on his massive hit “Lose Yourself” has also played a massive role in the Eminem-Illuminati rumors.

JAY Z & Beyoncé

JAY Z has long been rumored to be a top member of the Illuminati, and conspirators point to symbolism as proof, specifically his affinity for throwing up the Roc, which they claim is actually the Eye of Providence, the all-seeing pyramid associated with the Illuminati.

There’s also the belief that the flashing skull in JAY Z’s “On to the Next One” video resembles the deity Baphomet, a symbol secret societies have been accused of worshipping for hundreds of years. More recently, some have leaned into the addition of his song “22 2s” and his latest album title, 4:44, to equal 666. It’s clearly all there, people!

Much like her husband, Beyoncé has been accused of slyly promoting Illuminati symbolism in her music and performances, too. The latest example? The video for “Apeshit,” which features Beyoncé and JAY Z parading around The Louvre, with symbolism abound.

First, there’s the concept of the Carters being allowed private access to the Louvre, indicating a level of power that could only be attained by, say, being part of the Illuminati. Then there’s the fallen angel at the beginning of the video, said to represent Lucifer, and the entrance to the Louvre itself, which has long been rumored to contain 666 pieces of glass.

Beyoncé’s 2018 headlining Coachella performance was a target of Illuminati conspiracy theorists, as well. During the performance, she touched her thumb and pointer finger together to create a circle over her eye, and rocked a shirt with said eye and other Egyptian symbolism on it, as well as a Baphomet ring, allegedly all in reference to her dear Illuminati.

Even Beyoncé and JAY Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy, has been unable to escape the Illuminati hounds.

Kendrick Lamar

When Kendrick Lamar released DAMN. in 2017, there was plenty for Illuminati conspirators to grab onto. On the album cover, the “M” sits just above Lamar’s head, allegedly in a similar fashion to devil horns.

Parts of “FEAR” and “DUCKWORTH” sound like gibberish, and conspiracy theorists have suggested that playing these songs backwards uncovers a hidden message. Then, Lamar released a “deluxe” version of the album that simply reversed the original track listing, giving credence to the idea that the album secretly flows perfectly both backwards and forwards. Illuminati, confirmed.

Tupac

Rumors have long persisted that Tupac Shakur is actually alive, and simply faked his death to live out his days in exile, trying to escape the Illuminati. His lyrics portray a man trying to escape something, the conspiracy goes, like when ‘Pac rhymed “I sold my soul for a chance to kick it and bang” on the track “Good Life,” or when he chose to name his fifth album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, which would be released after his death.

That album is as dark as Tupac gets, with songs like “To Live & Die in LA” gracing the tracklist—according to conspirators, it’s as though he knew the Illuminati was after him. And if you want to buy into the idea that it indeed was the Illuminati that eventually gunned down Tupac that fateful night in Las Vegas, well, those conspiracy theories are out there for you, too.