Lil Nas X has sent social media into a frenzy with his latest song and music video for “J CHRIST.” Of course, his new music always comes along with a little controversy. However, many people have been questioning if he took things way too far this time around…
“J Christ,” which is the lead single from Lil Nas’ forthcoming sophomore album, was released on Friday. The video opens with a line of celebrity impersonators waiting to ascend a celestial staircase, including Barack Obama, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West, and more. While appearing dressed as Jesus, Lil Nas is seen waving hello to Michael Jackson in heaven. He also plays a basketball game against the devil, shears a sheep, and even gets strapped to a cross. Now, when the single was announced on Monday, Lil Nas defended his use of religious imagery. He said at the time, “The crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of Jesus,” he wrote on X. “Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of shit. You all just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. STFU.”
Since then, his new project has sparked even more backlash with many people accusing him of mocking Christianity. Now, to make matters worse, the Church of Satan strangely applauded him for his new song and video. Magister David Harris told TMZ he’s giving the video a thumbs up, calling the imagery “fantastic.” This of course has riled folks up even more. Nas X has clearly caught wind of all the online commotion and is now addressing it.
He said in Monday’s video: “With the video, there’s no disrespect there. I thought me clearly not being on the side of the devil in the video, there was an understanding there that I’m not trying to diss Christianity.” check out his full apology video below:
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Nas X is no stranger to backlash. He faced a similar situation when he released his 2021 song Montero (Call Me By Your Name) which also had a provocative music video.
That one shows Lil Nas in various mythical, religious, and historical settings, including one in which he gives a lap dance to the devil before he becomes one. While some praised him for his artistic vision, others labeled the video Satanic or sacrilegious and even pledged to boycott his music at the time.
That didn’t stop him from making more controversial videos because he’s back with another. However, given the seriousness that he seems to be taking into consideration this time, we may see a little change in future songs and videos from Nas X.
Socialites, what do you think? Sound off in the comment box below!