We know that Lil Nas X is an innovative musician. He refreshes our senses with his unconventional genre crossovers and inventive musical stories. We can never anticipate what he is going to do next. What we do know is that he is a popular artist. He creates popular music and has a large following. It seems that many listeners of this newest track, and viewers of the subsequent video, expect his music to be for everyone. And I, along with many of his supporters, have a problem with that.
Conservatives became outraged when the video was released, and we aren’t even gonna touch on the “Satan shoes” today, that’s a whole other article. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it after this read. For a quick recap, Lil Nas sins (aka kisses another man) in the garden of Eden and is banished by a court of angels to hell, traveling by pole with luscious crimson locks. Once in hell, he seduces and has sex with the devil, then takes the devil’s place and becomes the demon king himself. If you ask me, this video is iconic and will go down in history. But it was seen as offensive, blasphemous, and straight-up wrong. It does not make sense that this outrage is just about promoting Satan. Not everyone believes in heaven and hell, not everyone believes in God and the devil. Your religious beliefs have no place in popular music. If you don’t.like it, don’t listen to it. It’s that simple. Further, it is not the artist’s responsibility to raise your children. If you don’t want your kids to see it, that’s on you.
So that leaves us with the fact that conservatives were outraged because this video is ‘hella gay’. Conservatives’ reaction to this video made it incredibly clear that the homophobia preached by many Christians is very much alive and well. We’ve got the Adam & Steve kiss, he wears makeup as every character, has extensions, high heels, and again, enters hell by stripper pole. It only makes sense that conservatives would hate this video.
Men will all but kill themselves to make sure that their masculinity isn’t questioned. To the point that being a man is such a rigid framework to exist within. That’s gotta be exhausting. Riding a stripper pole to hell? Is there any other way you’d wanna be condemned? I get to be gay, and go out sexy? Then get some? Who really lost in this scenario? Those angels are fabulous but no doubt that their lives are boring af. That scene is also so powerful; It’s a court of judgement, hundreds of those with his own face staring back at him; a queer black man. This video gives us a glimpse of the sweet release Lil Nas X is experiencing as he embraces his sexuality, gender and overall identity. It’s a magnificent work of art.
We can’t deny that a large percentage of the Christian community preaches hate against anyone who is not straight and/or gender conforming. This is not about the fear of Satan taking over, this is the fear of losing power. The fear that those who are different are starting to loudly, and unapologetically, love themselves. Straight, cis people have been doing this in popular music for decades. These haters helped Lil Nas get a very gay video trending, and the song is now #1 on the Billboard charts. Fans did some of that hard work too, but we can’t deny the power of hate.
These haters comment, like and share the video in the hopes that others will share the same feelings of animosity. And they will. Then they will also comment, like and share the video looking for the same validation. They’ll find it alright, but not before boosting it to every corner of the internet. It’s almost as though if you don’t like something, and it isn’t hurting you, you should just mind your own business and leave it alone. Seems like more pure, Christian children could have been saved if this is what had been done. But no, hate will always be loud and intrusive. It will always be a broadcast that can surprisingly bring awareness, and even change. So, please, don’t stop. I do not doubt that Lil Nas has much more to say, and I hope that the haters will stick around to rip the next masterpiece apart. They’re only exposing how malicious their beliefs are while continuing to open our eyes to the toxicity that lies within mainstream social media. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Lil Nas X is one of the most talented, and intelligent, musicians in existence.