Lil Nas X “J CHRIST” Single Cover.Photo:Hugo Comte/Lil Nas X
Hugo Comte/Lil Nas X
Lil Nas Xis leaning back into biblical imagery for his new era.
On Monday, the Grammy winner unveiled the cover artwork for his upcoming single “J CHRIST” featuring himself resembling Jesus on a cross, shortly before clarifying he’snot looking to offend any religious groupswith the photo.
“MY NEW SINGLE IS DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME,” wrote Lil Nas X, 24, on X (formerly Twitter) alongsidethe “J CHRIST” cover image and announcement.
Lil Nas X in Toronto in September 2023.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
The “Old Town Road” performer then quoted a previous post claiming his upcoming single “features a very beloved popstar” and said, “It was God.”
After reposting some fans' tweets expressing excitement for his new music,Lil Nas X took to the social media platformonce again — less than an hour after sharing the “J CHRIST” single cover — to clarify his motive.
“the crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of jesus,” he wrote. “Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world.”
Lil Nas X continued, “I’m not making fun of s—. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. stfu.”
Around the same time, the star releasedblood-infused “satan shoes” (modified Nike sneakers) in partnership with MSCHF. Nike then sued Lil Nas X, though the suit was settled in April 2021.
In 2022, Lil Nas X opened up about how the controversies caused a strain in his working relationship with BET in an interview withRolling Stone.
“My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think,” he told the outlet in a statement at the time. “They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a satanist or devil worshiper, and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience.”
source: people.com
