I know people use phrases likeĀ āheās changing the gameā andĀ ānobodyās doing it like himā a lot for musicians, but I donāt think this is an exaggeration at all when talking about Lil Nas X.Ā
When I first saw the music video for Montero (Call Me By Your Name), I just kept thinking about how I had never seen a music video like it, ESPECIALLY from such a well-known artist. Iāve seen plenty of videos where a man is being sexy, but never in the way that Lil Nas X does it in that video. He sings about riding dick while giving a lap dance. Iām sure there are so many music videos where a male singer does this, but Iāve never seen them because gay men who express their sexuality in that way are usually prevented from becoming household names.
And he is getting a lot of pushback for it. People are saying that heās trying to indoctrinate children, that heās pushing an agenda, that heās part of the ruination of society. Gay men are seen as sex-crazy predators, and so are androgynous men. For him to make this video expressing himself and his sexuality in the way HE wanted to, knowing how people would take it, especially as a black man, and then attaching his real name to it?
Itās trending at #1 on youtube and thereās been a huge positive response to it, but heās risking a lot by releasing this video. The whole theme of the video is religious persecution, and weāre seeing that exact thing happen to him in real time. Heās being called a sinner, heās being told heās going to hell, heās being told that god doesnāt love him.Ā
This song and video are resonating with SO MANY people. People who grew up with a religion that teaches that people like them are wrong, with parents who seek to destroy what they do not understand,Ā who have had a closeted partner who only told them they loved them in private, who told themselves that they would never come out to anyone, with people who have struggled with internalized homophobia.Ā
Since the world already has their eyes on Lil Nas X, heās decided to represent himself the way he wants to and tell the stories he wants to tell. From this video to wearing a bright pink leather harness on the red carpet to doing drag on halloween, he is showing everyone that he is not ashamed of who he is and heās willing to put himself and his career at risk to be that person. By doing this, heās showing others that people like him exist and itās ok and itās good.
Lil Nas X is changing the game. His success will open doors for more artists like him. I believe heās going to help change the public perception of what hip-hop can be, and maybe even what a man can be.
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