The publicist for Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo has come forward and released a statement on the rapper’s behalf to clear recent rumors that the rapper has AIDS.

Shawty Lo, real name Carlos Walker, was allegedly hospitalized over two weeks on Sunday in Atlanta but Lo’s publicist, Tamiko Hope, said he was never even admitted. “He only spent a few hours.  He had complaints about stomach pain, nothing serious,” she told VIBE.

But rumors soon begin to circulate that the rapper had AIDS.

“Every week, there’s at least one email in my Inbox inquiring about Shawty Lo’s HIV status,” celebrity photographer Sandra Rose said on her popular blog, sandrarose.com, today. Rose says she reached out to Lo’s new media rep, Theda Sandiford. “He definitely does NOT have AIDS!” Sandiford allegedly said.

Hope released a statement today on the rapper’s behalf, which read as follows:

“After much public speculation and most of it untrue, it became apparent to publicly state that Carlos ‘Shawty Lo’ Walker is not infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.  He does however suffer from Diabetes, a serious condition that affects millions of people, particularly those of color. Despite occasional set backs, Shawty Lo continues his rigorous work schedule in support of his debut album Units In The City.  He appreciates the outpouring of concern and support for his health but he is doing fine.”