Rumors started up last week that Asher Roth (the singer of that catchy “I Love College” song; video below) was going to be coming out of the closet and tell his story to E! later this week.

The rumor goes like this:

Rapper Asher Roth will appear on E! News during the Christmas Holiday celebration to talk about his recent “coming out of the closet.” Asher was recently at a Gay Rights Parade with Lady Gaga, American Idol Winner, Clay Aiken, Blink 182, and REM lead man Michael Stipe.

Terrence Dean, formerly of MTV, is the author of the upcoming book “Hiding in Hip Hop” and says that Asher is mentioned in his book.  From Dean’s blog:

Asher Roth admits he is the infamous “Gay Rapper” in a new book put out by Terrance Dean, formerly of MTV. Dean who at first said he wouldn’t say names, is now not agreeing or disputing that Asher is indeed the “Gay Rapper”…Asher who came out on E! News after speaking publicly about his support for American Idol winner, Clay Aiken. Asher, who was recently rumored to be dropped from his SRC Label, is currently living in a gay section of New York, and “loving life.”

Now, DJ Vlad, the Executive VP of Loud.com/SRC Records has issued a statement to address the rumors:

As Executive Vice President of Loud.com / SRC Records, I would like to address the recent internet rumors about Asher Roth:

Asher Roth is not gay, and is not scheduled to be interviewed on the E! Channel. Furthermore, Asher has not been dropped from SRC Records, and is a top priority at the label after having sold over a million copies his “I Love College” single. Asher is currently working on his next album for SRC.

DJ Vlad
Executive Vice President Loud.com / SRC / Universal
CEO, VladTV

Whether Asher Roth is gay or not is something that I guess we’ll fine out in due time.  In the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he is — he’s a real cutie!

12/22/09 Update:

Now Asher himself is saying that he is not gay through this statement that he released.  I actually like the message that he conveys.  If he’s not gay, he sure does seem like a friend of the gays, unlike Eminem.

“I hate to disappoint and take away the entertainment of it all but I am straight, not gay. It’s disheartening to know such news on someone’s personal life can be portrayed as fact with no viable source. This, to me, is an opportunity to expose our vulnerability to lies and manipulation through unprofessional and irresponsible news outlets, in which people consider TRUTH.

“Further, someone’s sexual orientation should NEVER be big news, as it delivers a troubling message to children that they can’t be themselves without fear of judgement. Race, creed, and sexual persuasion should not just be tolerated but understood and accepted. It’s extremely disappointing that this topic would be used with the intention of being hurtful. We are near 2010….2010!! Yet race, sex and religion still play a major role in a hate-driven society.For the love of the future and humanity….let’s wake up.”

(update via Perez Hilton)

It didn’t take long for the YouTube parody to pop up:

(Photo courtesy kallao’s Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/kallao/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Tags: Entertainment, Music, Video