A magazine which triggered false rumors that High School Musical star Zac Efron is recording a new album with rapper Lil' Wayne is defending its decision to poke fun at the stars, insisting it was intended "as a joke."

O.C. Weekly, a well-respected arts and entertainment publication, looks set to have to make an apology to both parties, after claiming the unlikely duo are working on a music project together.

A reporter on the magazine is alleged to have witnessed Efron saying "What's up, my n--ga?" to the rapper, before giving him a hug and then a "full-on kiss" on the lips.

The news weekly printed the story without a disclaimer, making it appear to be true.

However the O.C. Weekly's editor is standing by his decision.

He tells a celebrity blogger, "I just wanted to clarify that the Zac Efron and Lil' Wayne story is purely fictional and is simply intended as a joke (and a hysterical one at that)."