I remember in January 2019 when Old Town Road came out, I was in my Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse class, and we were discussing current news topics that we would eventually cover for our final project. One of my peers wanted to cover the Old Town Road fiasco.
The story had just broke and pretty quickly I was informed by my flooded twitter and YouTube feeds that Lil Nas X was breaking the genre boundaries between rap and country.
Although neither genre is my favorite (if I had to pick one I would choose rap), I found the whole concept of taking two of the most isolated genres and smashing them together quite intriguing. There were the urban sounds of rap which gave voice to those that were infamously shunned from the music scene. Then there was country, the most ‘Amurican’ genre, with females singing about breaking stuff after finding out their man was cheating, males singing about their truck and of course songs about God.
To nobody’s surprise, the country crowd in particular wasn’t too happy about Old Town Road being featured on “their” billboard, and so a culture clash in the music world began. All the while this debate fueled Old Town Road’s rise to the #1 Billboard Hot 100 where it remained for 17 weeks, becoming the longest-leading No.1 Single to date.
Flash forward two years and Nas X for the most part stayed away from any notable debates or controversies. His previous antics with Old Town Road seemed to silence most critics and he was continuously releasing No.1 singles such as Rodeo, Panini and Holiday. Everybody was eagerly awaiting his next single entitled Call Me By Your Name, which Nas X had been leaking segments of since June 2020.
Nas X finally released the bomb single on March 25, 2021. The video is a shameless indulgence in the common response many queer indivduals are told when they express their sexuality or gender identity; “go to hell.”
The music video opens with Nas X playing guitar in the garden of Eden where he is confronted by the infamous snake (whom Nas X also portrays) and although he tries to run away from his desire, he eventually gives in. The camera then pans to the tree of knowledge that has a Greek quote from Plato’s Symposium: “After the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half.”
The next scene showcases Nas X being led to a coliseum-esque court room by three guards dressed in what can only be described as Effie Trinket’s interpretation of Britney Spears’ 2000s VMA denim look. Nas X is then judged and convicted for his sexuality, and upon being convicted, he is stoned with butt plugs (yes, butt plugs) and presumably dies from a plug to the head.
At this point in the video the real controversy begins. We see Nas X looking up at the gates to heaven in an almost angelic rainbow sheen, but all of the sudden, a stripper pole appears behind him and he proceeds to pole dance his way through the seven circles, straight to hell.
Nas X is incredibly extra and doesn’t just stop at the pole but walks up to Satan and begins to give him a lap dance. Beneath the devil’s throne, the phrase “they condemn what they do not understand,” is written in Latin. He continues to twerk and give the lap dance of the century before snapping the Devil’s neck, removing his horns and placing them on his own head, effectively becoming the King of Hell.
The imagery in this music video is phenomenal. It is hard to believe that the same man who sang Old Town Road created this masterpiece. The video eloquently illustrates the guilt and fear that many queer youth endure due to religious conditioning that tells them they are sinful merely for their existence as a queer person. The last third of the video is LNX’s response to this constant condemnation, an unapologetic embrace of who he is, unafraid of offending anybody or being hated for who he is.
Nas X was fully prepared for the backlash. Conservative pundits such as Candace Owens and Matt Walsh tried attacking Nas X claiming that he was satanic and encouraging satanism. Nas X took it tongue and cheek and replied with snarky and hilarious burns to his critics, allowing the homophobic prejudice that so many people hold to be on display.
As a queer person myself I have seen prejudice. I was fortunate enough to have a supportive and loving family who embraced me for who I am, but the community I grew up in was very conservative. I remember looking up to figures such as David Bowie, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Adam Lambert and loving how unapologetic they were. In an area that felt so gray, that unapologetic pride in who they were, colored my world.
What upsets me most about this conservative movement to stifle LGBTQ+ content is that kids who are getting bullied — perhaps don’t have an accepting family and are still living in that gray world — won’t be able to see themselves. Knowing that there is somebody like them, that they aren’t invalid or immoral and that most importantly, there is a community of people who will support them is invaluable.
One of the most traumatizing aspects of coming out is the reality of being told you are going to hell simply for the way you are or that you will never be loved properly. Nas X is in a way taking back the power, poking fun at the ridiculous nature of people being told they are going to be damned for eternity for being who they are.
Now is the music video provocative? Absolutely. Some of the best songs, books and movies are provocative. Instead of getting outraged over imagery and thinking that a shoe is going to open a portal to Hades, perhaps try and look at the story Lil Nas X is conveying.