Thomas Johnson, aka Tommy the Clown, made a cameo in Kendrick Lamar's newly released music video for Not Like Us. However, following the release of the video, DJ Akademiks called Tommy a "p*dophile" on X.
Tommy, who invented the hip-hop "clowning" dance style in 1992, was among several other artists to feature on Kendrick's MV, released on the Fourth of July. As the city of Compton came alive in the Not Like Us visuals, along with other West Coast rappers and athletes' presence, it garnered positive and negative reviews.
One of the concerns included Kendrick including Tommy in the video with streamer DJ Akademics making allegations of p*dophilia against Tommy. The streamer who had followed the entirety of Drake and Kendrick's diss battle claimed that Tommy the Clown had previously engaged in s*xual relations with a minor.
The accusation first emerged online in June, following Kendrick's Pop Out show at Los Angeles' Kia Forum, where Tommy was a guest performer. Akademiks posted screenshots of some netizens' tweets that initially brought up the accusation. Kendrick was called out for his association with Tommy, an alleged p*dophile while he slammed Drake for a similar cause in his diss tracks.
Following the release of the Not Like Us music video, Akademiks once again made assumptions about the rapper and took to X to post about it. While some people side with him, others have mostly called him out for making an unproven claim.
"Right Lol Kendricks A Weirdo...Basically All Song "Drakes A P*do'...While Going Back Home To Hang Out With Actual P*dos Lmao...See Ppl Project There Own Insecurities Onto Others, Thats All This Is, So Every Diss To Drake He Really Talkin About Himself", wrote one person.
One X user imitated a bar from Kendrick's Not Like Us lyrics, where the rapper alluded to trafficking allegations against Drake's OVO crew member Baka Not Nice.
"Tommy has a weird case , why is he around?", commented another.
"That’s probably why he got a big a*s clown suit on get it lol", wrote one X user.
Others pointed out how there was no news articles or reports from any reputed or even non-popular publications about Tommy The Clown's alleged involvement with a minor.
"No news article links just random Stan tweets lol", noted one X user.
"Akademiks team has to make up a rumor to try to get kendrick down to drakes level", claimed another.
Some wrote that DJ Akademiks should be sued for spreading false information about an artist and staining their reputation in the process.
"Hope you catch a defamation case asap", one person commented.
"he aint a p*dophile lol it was debunked, someone needs to sue your a*s for this fake misinfo", another chimed in.
One person brought up the fact that DJ Akademiks himself was sued in May over r*pe allegations from his ex.
"Considering you have a lawsuit yourself, I would sit this one out", wrote one.
Allegations against Tommy The Clown explored amid Not Like Us MV drop
In the tweets that surfaced in June alleging Tommy The Clown is a p*dophile, one claimed. Another X user claimed the dancer was caught trying to sleep with a 16-year-old a few years ago and that he even booked a hotel room for themselves. DJ Akademiks took screenshots of a few such tweets and reposted them on X.
Another screenshot containing a written extract claimed Tommy allegedly met up with a 15-year-old girl to sleep with her. The narrator noted they were not certain if it was true. They continued that Tommy clarified he was only helping her pay rent.
X user @JxOnTheKeyz posted another written extract, supposedly from a pr*stitute who was thought to be underage:
"HOW DID YOU PAY MY RENT AT A MOTEL THAT ONLY DOES HOURLYS LOL. YOU PAID FOR MY SERVICE PERIOD [LAUGHING EMOJI] IT’S NOT THAT BIG A DEAL."
However, the user also captured Tommy The Clown's supposed response to the accusation, where the dancer apparently wrote:
"Praise the Lord Everyone. You may have seen the post of a lady implying she spent the day with me in an inappropriate way. ITS NOT TRUE. While she was sitting in my car I went and paid rent for her because she was in need. I was just helping. NO more. Yes, I could have and should have done it differently, nevertheless I did not. There in no more coming, I am sorry for my ignorance."
No evidence of these allegations against Tommy The Clown being true have been found.