Harriet Brewis
Apr 01, 2021
Lil Nas X/YouTube
Lil Nas X has spent the past week consumed by the fury of critics enraged by his new music video.
Montero (Call Me By Your Name) has been viewed more than 62 million times on YouTube alone over the six days since its release.
However, conservative commentators, politicians, and even basketball player Nick Young were quick to condemn the video and denounce the rapper, 22, of being a “whole new level of demonic” because of its fiery content.
It depicts Lil Nas X, real name Montero Lamar Hill, riding a stripper pole down to hell and giving Satan a lap dance before snapping his neck and stealing his horns.
Yet, as the backlash against him continues, one Twitter user suggested that a staggering amount of hypocrisy is at play.
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The fan, named Elyse (or @stardustyx), tweeted: “Satanic imagery is so common in modern culture, it makes you wonder why people are disproportionately losing their minds when lil nas x shows it…”
Alongside the post, she shared images from music and popular shows, each featuring a portrayal of the devil or some form of infernal reverence.
The first showed a still from Billie Eilish’s music video All girls go to hell, the second showed The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is currently available on Netflix, the third was a shot from a junior music competition entry called Inferno, and the fourth was a excerpt of a South Park episode titled Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?
Fellow users of the platform seized on the suggestion that Lil Nas X was suffering particularly fierce reprisals for his video because of his sexuality and race.
One pointed out that there has been a Match.com advert out “for months” in the US – starring Ryan Reynolds – in which Satan tries online dating. It was widely accepted as funny, not removed for being blasphemous.
Others “spelt it out”:
Lil Nas X has responded to the maelstrom of criticism with a note addressed to his 14-year-old self.
“I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist,” he wrote.
“You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am.
“The agenda to make people stay the f*** out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
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