Hitmaking singer/producer Ne-Yo credits Internet Gay rumors with propelling him to Hip-Hop Superstardom.

“For one, I’m an R&B singer, so that’s one strike against me anyway. I’ve never been the thuggish dude,” the twenty-four year old tells Vibe.

“This is the way I look at it now. For one, you’re nobody ’til they think you’re gay - that’s the truth of the business. Two? You really gotta take the good with the bad.”

“I was having a conversation with my management and the label, and they said, ‘We’ve really got to get you out in public more because after they say you’re a great songwriter, what else is there to say? Nobody knows anything about your lifestyle.’ “I think that’s why the gay thing was so easy to believe, because it was one of the only things that came out about me that didn’t have to do with music.”