Lil Nas
The two-time Grammy Award winner premiered the controversial song on Friday. In the accompanying video, he appeared as a devil, an angel and Jesus Christ crucified on a cross before returning to a Met Gala-style event. He also navigates the flooded high seas like Noah, quoting a verse from Corinthians. There are also plenty of big-name doppelgängers preparing for trial in the video, but it was Lil Nas X who bore the brunt of the brutal discernment in real life.
The “Old Town Road” rapper, who wrote and directed the new video, addressed the backlash Monday in a video posted to his social media accounts, admitting that he “went overboard” and didn’t mean to upset his Christian fans. The musician pronounced his latest mea culpa, hot on the heels of Christian artists like Dee-1, Lecrae and Hurricane Chris expressing his disappointment, characterizing the rapper. like a blasphemerdisrespectful, “hurt in the church” or being used by the devil.
“Okay, I gotta admit Lil Nas is playing with fire by making fun of Jesus,” said Lecrae, the first rapper to win a Grammy for a gospel album. tweeted Friday. “He is getting the attention he wants from people at the risk of burning his conscience. Still, if God can transform King Neb, the murders, the slave masters, the sex workers, etc., he can add another Blasphemer to the list.”
Defending the offensive cover art ahead of the video's debut last week, Lil Nas He also argued that the artwork, which showed him crucified like Jesus, was not mocking the sacrosanct religious figure.
“The crazy thing that is nowhere in the photo is a mockery of Jesus. The image of Jesus is used throughout history in popular art around the world. I'm not making fun of that. You all need to stop trying to control a religion that was here before any of us were born. stfu,” he wrote on January 8 on xformerly Twitter.
On Monday, the 24-year-old was singing a different tune. He said he was “not necessarily” apologizing, but rather explaining his mental space upon releasing his latest project.
“When I made the artwork, I knew there would be angry people or something simply because religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people. But I didn’t mean to make fun either,” she said. in a video he posted on X and Instagram, explaining that he wasn't trying to be flippant.
“It was literally me saying, 'Oh, I'm back.' I have returned like Jesus.' That was it,” she added. “I'm not the first person to dress up as Jesus. “I'm not the first rapper… and I won't be the last.”
The singer also acknowledged his history of religious outrage, referencing the firestorm he caused with a 2021 music video because it contained satanic imagery.
“And I know that, given my history with the 'Call Me By Your Name' video, anything I do related to religion can be seen as mockery. That was not the case with this,” she said..
Saying he had not prepared a statement and was just speaking spontaneously, the “Industry Baby” singer also referred to his communion-inspired promotional video released last week: a sped-up clip that showed him in religious attire eating wafers and drinking wine, which he referred to as “crackers and juice.” Lil Nas
“I didn't mean it was a question of cannibalism or whatever, but I apologize for that. I'll say I'm sorry about that. That was exaggerated. Although I don't agree with all the rules of Christianity or all that. I know not everyone follows Christianity 100% or the world would be a lot crazier. But I apologize for that,” he said.
Lil Nas X is no stranger to controversy. The artist's name was back on people's lips earlier this month after comedian Dave Chappelle returned to the “Montero” brouhaha during his December Netflix special, “The Dreamer.” While Chappelle called the artist the ultimate dreamer in his stand-up routine, Lil Nas writing: “Everyone should stop calling me by my name, the devil and I broke up 3 years ago. “You all act like children of divorce.”
Looking less glib in Monday's video, the artist explained why he felt the need to address the latest tumult with sincerity.
“This isn't to try to get everyone on my side or anything, it's more to clear my own mind about my own decision,” he said. “I know I made a big mistake this time and I can act without being bothered as much as I want, but it has definitely taken a mental toll on me. …I want my Christian fans to know that I'm not against you. I was put on this earth to bring people together and promote love and that is who I am. I'm not like some evil demon trying to destroy everyone's values and stuff like that. That is not me.”
He continued: “With the video, there is no disrespect. I thought [that by] Clearly I'm not on the devil's side in that video, [that] There it was understood that I am not trying to break Christianity.”
The musician said he hoped people could get over it because he's excited about “the rest of this era and the things I have planned.”
“That's all I have to say for now. Sending you all love. Sending love to my fans. I send love to the people I hurt,” she concluded.
