Rapper Kid Cudi has opened up about Lil Nas X’s artistry and unapologetic impact in the hip hop genre in a new tribute.
Earlier this week, Time’s 100 Most Influential People list was announced and of course, the iconic 22-year-old made the cut.
In a profile for the Panini singer, Cudi praised LNX for being “unafraid” to be himself in the industry.
“Lil Nas X is a new twist on some of the themes I was riding on when I first started out: being true to yourself and not giving a f*** what anyone says,” he said.
“What he’s doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records – that is huge for us and for Black excellence. The way’s he’s unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock’n’roll. He’s a true rock star.”
This isn’t the first time that Cudi has shown support for the Old Town Road rapper.
Shortly after announcing the tracklist for his debut album, LNX was subjected to critics calling him out for not featuring any Black male artists.
The young talent replied to one Twitter user, stating: “Maybe a lot of them just don’t wanna work with me.”
That same day, Cudi tweeted at LNX telling him he would work with him and “frolic in rose gardens” singing about his pain.
Towards the end of the Time profile, Cudi revealed that the situation made him “sad”.
“There’s a homophobic cloud over hip-hop, and he’s going to break that sh-t down. We have to stand with him,” he exclaimed. “I’m going to do whatever I have to do to let him know – you have my support,” he said.
In terms of their upcoming collaboration, the Day ‘n’ Nite rapper said that he’s ready to “get sexy with it” no matter how “trippy” the video ends up being.
Lil Nas X echoed similar sentiments to Cudi regarding the future LGBTQ+ rappers in hip-hop during his interview with Zane Lowe.
“You know, so many female rappers that are just killing it,” he told Zane. “And I feel like a decade from now it’s going to be the same with gay rappers or any rappers. I feel like there are going to be entire trans rappers and whatnot just killing it because, why not?” he said.
In the meantime, LNX is having a monumental week with the release of his highly-anticipated debut album Montero.
With appearances from Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Elton John and Miley Cyrus, the record has been praised for its unabashed queerness and vulnerable lyrical content.
Read GAY TIMES’ full review of the record here.
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