He hit the headlines in 2022 with his track Montero (Call Me By Your Name). Lil Nas X returned to the media scene on January 12, 2024 with a new single, J Christ, and an almost Hollywood-like music video in which he doesn't deny himself anything. In the video of less than three minutes - which has accumulated more than 6 million views to date - the rapper slips into the skin of a deity on stiletto heels who borrows largely from the codes of Christianity. We see celebrity lookalikes queuing up to enter heaven, a basketball game between Satan and Lil Nas X, a cheerboy choreography... all punctuated by revisited biblical episodes. The miracle of the Sea of Moses, the crucifixion of Jesus or Noah's ark: nothing is missing in this bold video with queer overtones.
A return under the sign of blasphemy
The message is clear: Lil Nas X is back in the spotlight and this "resurrection" would be at least comparable to that of Jesus. A parallel that outraged a large part of the star's fans, pinned on social networks for this clip which would be akin to blasphemy.
The rapper had already caused a stir a few days before the release of his new track in a video published on X (ex-Twitter). We see him in a religious setting taking a series of shots of a blood-red liquid where he dips what looks like wafers. The show business industry knows that there's nothing better than getting people talking about you - for better or for better - to ensure the marketing success of a product. But the subversive artist felt that a line had been crossed. To put an end to the controversy - and appease his Christian fans - Lil Nas X posted a spontaneous video on his social networks on Monday, January 15, where he makes amends.
"I don't necessarily want to apologize," he says. I want to explain the events of the past week. To begin with, when I was preparing this artistic work, I knew that some people would be offended, because religions are a very sensitive subject for many people." The star clarifies that his goal was not to make a mockery of Christianity. "The idea was to say I'm back like Jesus. (...) I'm not the first person to dress like Jesus, I'm not the only artist, I'm not the only rapper and I won't be the last."
Referring to the video in which he pretends to repeat the Eucharistic ritual with bread and wine, he admits: "I didn't understand the reality of what it is. It wasn't cannibalism at all or whatever. And for that I'm sorry." "I know I completely messed up this time. I may look like I didn't care, but it still affected me," Lil Nas X continued. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I was brought into the world to bring people together and promote love. It's who I am. I'm not an evil demon trying to destroy values."
Subversion as a banner
The devil is one of Lil Nas X's main inspirations. He became known to the general public thanks to the very sulphurous and subversive video of Montero (Call Me By Your Name) where he performs a "lap dance" on satan. The rapper also launched a line of "satanic sneakers" in 2021. The model, put up for sale by MSCHF, was initially an Air Max 97 sneaker (manufactured by Nike), to which were added a pentagram, an inverted five-pointed star sometimes considered a satanic symbol, and a drop of human blood injected into the sole. Nike had sued MSCHF, accusing it of counterfeiting and diluting the brand.