Protect Lil Nas X at all costs!
The 21-year-old rapper just dropped the new song and music video for "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" and it's already making shockwaves on social media.
While the song asks a lover "to stop pretending with his significant other and act on a first-name basis," according to Genius, the video depicts X in the garden of eden being tempted by sin, being stoned for acting on his desires, having the option to go up to heaven and instead taking hold of a stripper pole where he descends into hell, meets Satan, and then proceeds to ride him.
The video from the Grammy-winning artist is already pissing off conservative viewers, but X knew exactly what he was doing. "Y’all love saying we going to hell but get upset when I actually go there lmao," he tweeted. And in anticipation of the outrage, he joked "I’m gonna be so pissed if I don’t get any Illuminati conspiracy videos. I worked so hard for this."
Even through the ridiculousness of it all, it's definitely a moment for Lil Nas X and gay representation in pop culture at large. The song and video is unabashedly queer (one of the lyrics reads "shoot a child in your mouth while I'm ridin"), and watching a Black pop star strut around in underwear and heels and be embraced by much of the public and his fans feels momentous.
X wrote an emotional letter to his younger self. "I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be 'that' type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist."
X also shared a supportive and encouraging text from his father.
\u201clmaoo love this man\u201d— NASARATI (@NASARATI) 1616775615
The internet has exploded with reactions and memes:
\u201cLil Nas X presenting the idea for the montero video to his label\u201d— Zach Kardisch (@Zach Kardisch) 1616771830
None— SALVIO (@SALVIO) 1616732249
\u201cWhen Lil nas x said, \nShoot a child in your mouth while I'm riding\u201d— P.Laveau (@P.Laveau) 1616761567
\u201cLil nas when he saw satan\u201d— \ud835\udd84\ud835\udd75 (@\ud835\udd84\ud835\udd75) 1616732799
\u201cLil Nas walking over to satan in the montero video\u201d— chunti (@chunti) 1616732350
\u201cLil Nas said: \u26c5\n |\n |\n |\n |\n |\n |\ud83e\udd38\ud83c\udfff\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\n \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\u201d— Mediterranean Grandma Summer (@Mediterranean Grandma Summer) 1616749279
\u201csatan after people in hell start calling him gay because of the lil nas video\u201d— CZY (@CZY) 1616731914
\u201cSatan doing damage control tomorrow on IG live after this Lil Nas video\n\n\u201d— Your kaftan plug \ud83d\udd0c (@Your kaftan plug \ud83d\udd0c) 1616752997
None— Sunny the cat (@Sunny the cat) 1616732489
Lil Nas X's debut album is excepted this summer. We'll be streaming "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" on repeat in the meantime!
35 bisexual pop anthems we have on constant repeatYouTube.com/Binoy