Lil Nas X has recently released his latest single, “Industry Baby.” The music video takes place in prison after the court proceedings of his “Satan shoes” that caused a lot of controversy. All joking aside, Lil Nas X has partnered with The Bail Project, a charity that posts cash bails for people in jail waiting for their trial.
The video depicts inmates in bright pink jumpsuits, twerking in various parts of the prison. There is even a scene that features Lil Nas X and background dancers naked in the shower.
Naturally, anti-gay haters on the internet were quick to jump on the video and criticize Lil Nas X. Many users claimed that he takes his music too far, waving his sexuality in their faces. Lil Nas clapped back by stating that no one bats an eye when other rappers release songs with their sexual escapades with multiple women, but when he does anything remotely sexual with another man it’s taking it too far. He summed it up succinctly by stating, “Y’all hate gay people.”
Lil Nas X is one of the first artists to defend being a visible, queer artist while also topping the charts and having millions of fans worldwide. He is a young, gay artist who knows that times are changing, and is calling for people to either keep up or move out of the way.
He has even faced criticism from members of the LGBTQ community. Following his viral BET Awards performance, an older gay man had stated that he is “too sexual.” Lil Nas fired back by saying queer people who are criticizing him need to self reflect and realize that they are trying to appease straight people. They are afraid that if straight people are uncomfortable with what he does, then they will also be uncomfortable with queer people in general, and that is a problem they need to address themselves.
