It's Lil Nas X's world and we are all living in it.
For a while now, Lil Nas X has been blazing a path. His critics have decried him for having an "agenda." And he's come out plainly and said that he does in fact: it's called liberation. Last night that agenda saw the headline-making, chart-topping star take to the BET Awards stage and makeout with one of his dancers.
Fans of the performer (and anyone who was online when it happened) will remember that in addition to splitting his pants, Nas X found himself being licked in an undoubtedly sexy performance on Saturday Night Live earlier this year. He pushed the stakes up a notch at the BET Awards, performing once again to his song "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" with choreography by Sean Bankhead.
Nodding to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time," the singer put on a production that looked to Egypt for its visual references. He had a phalanx of dancers, a throne at the top of a mock pyramid, and even some gold winged eyeliner. The performance included a dance break and all, and at its ending climax the singer made out with dancer Yai Ariza. We love to see it.
To do all of this at the BET Awards in a space that has been routinely criticized for how its lagged behind in terms of LGBTQ+ representation was more than refreshing, but necessary. And Nas X is cognizant of this. When the nominations for the event came out he mused that he wanted to be nominated — according to Pride's records, Nas X biggest releases were not in the window of eligibility. But following the performance, in an exchange on Twitter he made it clear that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Rapper DreBae posted a mock conversation to Twitter. "You know homophobes gone be mad after that BET Awards performance right?" asked the initial prompt. In this faux conversation, Lil Nas X responds as ballroom Hall of Famer MC Debra in a viral clip: "I know, I know," she says.
Nas X responded to the tweet: "Exactly lmaoo."
