Lil Nas X is readying the release of his comeback single set to drop this Friday. Ahead of its release, the Montero artist took to social media to share the song’s provocative title and cover art.
The artist captioned the accompanying Instagram post, “My new single is dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time,” referring to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The cover art, portraying Jesus Christ on the cross, stirred mixed feelings among fans and internet users. Comments in the section expressed concern, with one fan speculating, “I swear his marketing strategy is just to make everyone hate him once a year. Someone protect this man from the avalanche this is about to kick off.”
Underneath his Twitter post, one user commented, “This is so inappropriate why would you do this,” with another adding, “Disappointed, disgusted & feeling uncomfortable.”
As backlash mounted, Nas X returned to social media to defend his artistic vision, arguing that his intention wasn’t to mock Jesus. He explained, “Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of shit. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born.”
This isn’t the first time Lil Nas X has explored religious themes in his music. Back in November, he teased a “Christian era” with a snippet of an acoustic song, where he sang about seeking God’s help and overcoming envy.
While wearing a shirt that reads, “If God doesn’t exist then who’s laughing at u,” he bellowed the lyrics, “Father stretch my hands, the lonely road seems to last the longest/ Help me with my plans, everything seems to go nowhere/ Oh free me from worry and wanting pity/ Free me from all this envy in me.”
Hours after posting the unreleased snippet, he responded to the backlash about his new genre of choice.
“Y’all see everything I do as a gimmick. When in reality, I’m just an artist expressing myself in different ways. Whether I’m a cowboy, gay, satanic or now Christian, y’all find a problem! Y’all don’t police nobody else’s art like mine. Y’all hate me because I’m fun, cute and petite.”
Would you be streaming to Nas X’s new single?
You must be logged in to post a comment Login