Lil Nas X has claimed that Conservatives would “try to kill” him if he were to release the song ‘Montero’ today.
The singer made the comments during a new interview for the cover of Paper magazine, and reflected on how he thinks the biblical themes he implemented in some of his past music videos would have triggered a much larger reaction given today’s current political climate.
He looked back at the visual accompaniments for his songs ‘J Christ’ and ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ in particular, which both included some divisive nods to stories in the Bible.
In the latter, for example, Nas is seen making his way from the Garden Of Eden down to hell via a stripper pole. While there, he gives Satan a lap dance before ultimately killing him. Reflecting on how the creative choices sparked some backlash from the Christian community, the artist told the outlet that he thinks the criticism would be much more widespread if he were to share it today.
“The world was shifting so much at the time,” he began, “Even right now, [there’s] everything with the young males being taught these super conservative ways.”
He went on to say about how he thinks the imagery used would cause more upset now that Donald Trump is back in office as President – given the rise in criticism aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.
“[If I did that today,] they’d actually try to kill me, like I’m not kidding,” he added.
The comments come as the singer released his second studio album ‘DREAMBOY’ on Friday (March 28) via Columbia Records. He launched the campaign late in 2024 with the ‘Light Again’ single, which was then followed by ‘Need Dat Boy’ in November and ‘Hotbox’ last month.
‘Light Again’ featured production from Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, and at the time Nas explained: “Dreamboy isn’t just an album… It’s me coping with the loss of what once was and fighting for a new world. im so excited to bring you on the journey.”
