Rapper T.I. Says Sammy Sosa’s Alleged Skin Bleaching Is ‘Self-Hate’

Following social media’s dramatic reaction to recent photos of Sammy Sosa where he appears to have white skin, rapper T.I. said that Sosa’s alleged skin bleaching is a result of “self hate.”

When asked by TMZ what he thinks of Sosa’s lightened skin tone, T.I. said two words: “self hate.”

Numerous photos of Sosa have emerged in recent years that show him with lighter, nearly white skin. However, the new photos that surfaced last week show just how much Sosa’s skin tone has changed since even then.

His skin is almost white and appears to be much lighter than in previous years. In the photos, the baseball legend was visiting London ahead of his 49th birthday. He wore a blue scarf and a leather coat and appears to have put on some weight.

The former Chicago Cubs player has attributed the lightening effect on a skin cream that lightens his skin color.

“It’s a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some,” Sosa told Univision in 2009. “It’s a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some. I’m not a racist, I live my life happily.”

At the time, Sosa said the cream, along with the bright TV lights, made his skin appear lighter than it is.

“I don’t think I look like Michael Jackson,” he said.

See social media’s reaction to the surprising photos here; some called it “terrifying” and others echoed T.I., calling it “self hate.”