5 Sex Tapes That Changed the World

By Fusion Staff | July 18, 2014 | 9:13pm

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Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are out with a new movie, “Sex Tape.” So we at Fusion decided to take a closer look at the homemade film phenomenon and examine the impact celebrities have when they decide to bring a video camera into the bedroom and press the record button. Not only did it have a major impact on the adult industry but it affected pop culture as a whole.

Here are 5 sex tapes that had a huge impact on pop culture:

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Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee:

This sex tape was known as one of the earliest to leak featuring celebrities. It featured Playboy Playmate/actress Pamela Anderson and then husband rock star Tommy Lee. It was recorded during their honeymoon in 1998. Back in the late 90’s this was breaking news. It’s one thing to see Pamela Anderson within the Playboy sheets and it’s another thing to see her actually in between the sheets.

Impact: The success of the tape had every person that owned a camcorder digging in their personal video tape stash in hopes that they would find gold. Soon after, a sex tape surfaced with Pamela and Bret Michaels.

Rather than shy away from the controversy, Pamela and Tommy profited from the release of the sex tape and wore it like a badge. Tommy Lee’s band, Method of Mayhem, hinted at the tape in its music video “Get Naked” where Lee was, well, naked throughout the entire clip.

Paris Hilton and Rick Solomon:

Coming off of reality fame in the hit TV show “The Simple Life,” celebutant Paris Hilton was exposed in a sextape with ex-boyfriend, Rick Salomon. It took the video three years to surface. It was recorded in 2001 and released in 2004. The video was aptly titled “1 Night in Paris.” It seemed like perfect timing for the tape to be leaked because of the success of her reality show. This probably sent her PR team into a frenzy but the tape catapulted her into superstardom. Soon pop culture stopped associating her with the tape but rather her red carpet antics, her coined phrase “That’s Hot,” and her attempts to break into the music industry as a singer and a DJ.

Impact: There was a portion of the sex tape that was featured in night vision. There were countless spoofs. It even had camera manufacturers making it one of their key selling points. They made sure to advertise that feature. Even the name of the tape was so witty that when former female wrestler Chyna decided to leak a sex tape it paid homage to Paris’ tape with its name “1 Night in China.”

Kim Kardashian and Ray J:

The effect of the Kim Kardashian and Ray J sex tape can be still felt today. At the time of its release, Ray J was the star of the tape because of his success in music and acting. Kim Kardashian was virtually unknown. She was known as a lower tier figure in the celebutant world and friend of Paris Hilton. After the release of the tape, Kim had her breakthrough moment. Years later, even her husband, Kanye West, had to admit the success of the tape on the track “Clique” when he rapped the lyrics “my girls a superstar all from a home movie.” Kim later became a household name with the E! Reality show “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”

Impact: We learned that being involved in a sex tape can open up doors in Hollywood. Kardashian exuded talent… but not the type of talent that mainstream Hollywood was accustomed to. Eventually other C-list sex tapes surfaced but they didn’t have the same impact.

R. Kelly:

Allegedly, a video surfaced with R. Kelly and an underage woman. Everyone that viewed the sex tape was shocked by one specific incident – “golden showers.” It seemed to be a figure that resembled R. Kelly urinating on his partner.

Impact: This tape showed us that when you drop a hit song it will make the masses forget all about your scandals. The tape had everyone scratching their heads when Kelly said it wasn’t him, but in fact was his brother. Even Kelly’s former protege, Sparkle, jumped in on the controversy when she claimed that the minor featured in the video was her niece. After the scandal, Kelly’s “Chocolate Factory” album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Eve and Stevie J:

Technically, the Eve and Stevie J sex tape wasn’t actually a sex tape. It featured the rapper Eve and producer Stevie J involved in sexual acts. That tape surfaced in the early 2000s.

Impact: It seems like Stevie J took note of the Kim Kardashian strategy. He used the notoriety he gained from his sex tape and eventually became one of the key figures in the reality show “Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta.” Even Stevie’s castmates followed his example. His ex-girlfriend Mimi was featured in a sex tape with her current boyfriend Nikko. That tape had the Internet in a craze because one of the key scenes took place in a shower with Mimi exhibiting some of her talents with a shower rod.

Are sex tapes as shocking today? Let us know what you think at @Thisisfusion

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