Culture

15 tweets that prove why Lil Nas X is the king of social media

By Sam Damshenas

29th March 2021

Who’s doing it like Lil Nas X right now? We’ll wait.

Over this past week, the rapper has continued to cement his status as the king of social media with clapbacks towards the conservative trolls who took issue with his new music video, Montero (Call Me By Your Name).

In the biblical and ancient Greek-inspired visual, Lil Nas X pole dances his way into hell, where he proceeds to give Satan a lap dance in thigh-high boots with stiletto heels and Calvin Klein underwear.

After snapping Satan’s neck, the star crowns himself as the new ruler of hell with Lucifer’s horns as his eyes glow and wings emerge.

As we wrote in our review, “It’s a blockbuster of a music video that challenges the status quo, is powerful in its queerness, and unapologetic with its message.”

The music video received rave reviews from the LGBTQ+ community and liberal media for unabashedly celebrating queer sexuality in a way that hasn’t been seen from a mainstream, chart-topping artist such as Lil Nas X.

However – there’s always a ‘however’ isn’t there? – right-wing commentators, the ones who are still crying over Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP, slammed Lil Nas X for promoting Satanism and ‘corrupting’ younger listeners.

The criticism continued as the Grammy winner announced the release of his ‘Satan Shoes’, a collaboration with streetwear company MSCHF, which features a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a drop of human blood.

On social media, Lil Nas X was inundated with backlash from the aforementioned pro-Trump, conservative trolls. We repeat: trolls. An unbothered Lil Nas X then proved why he’s the ruler of hell and the internet.

Check out some of his best responses below.

Following the release of Montero (Call Me By Your Name), which he co-directed with Tanu Muino, Lil Nas X posted a heartfelt message on Instagram to his 14-year-old self, explaining the importance of this moment for other queer people.

“I know we promised never to come out publicly, I know we promised never to be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist,” he wrote.

“You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. The truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.”

Montero (Call Me By Your Name) was produced by Take a DayTrip, Omer Fedi and Roy Enzo, and is available to download and stream now. It will be included on his debut album of the same name, which is due for release this summer.

You can watch the music video here or below.