Throughout the past month, rapper, singer, and media personality Lil Nas X has been the talk of the pop-culture world. Known for his hit song “Old Town Road,” which set a Billboard Hot 100 chart record by being number one for nineteen weeks, he has recently come back into the spotlight with criticism seemingly coming from everywhere. What exactly happened? 

It started with the music video that accompanied his latest single entitled “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” The video depicted Lil Nas X sliding down a pole into hell and giving the devil a lap dance. The video, and this scene in particular, went viral and caused outcry among many in the conservative and Christian communities. Many people viewed this action from Lil Nas X as offensive and damning. Some claimed that for performing these actions in a music video, Lil Nas X would end up in real hell one day. Among those who criticized him publicly were South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, fellow rapper Joyner Lucas, former NBA player Nick Young, and various Fox News anchors. 

Despite all of the public criticism, Lil Nas X was not afraid to use his platform to speak his mind and defend himself. He used his Twitter account to clap back at those calling him out, and he was not apologetic about it either. When Joyner Lucas criticized him for not putting a disclaimer for children on the “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” video, he tweeted “i literally sing about lean & adultery in old town road. u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself”. 

This was just one of the many tweets Lil Nas X put out in response to the hate he received for the music video, and his lack of remorse for actions some have deemed offensive have made him even more popular in the eyes of many people. The controversy even made it’s way over to Saturday Night Live, where the cast did a sketch showing Lil Nas X giving God a lap dance as a way to make everyone happy. Even with all of this, the video was not the only thing of his that has been met with disapproval from the public. 

In addition to the video for “MONTERO,” Lil Nas X also released a shoe as part of the marketing campaign for the song. The shoes were a pair of custom-made Nike Air Max 97s that featured pentagrams and allegedly contained human blood in the sole of the shoe. The release of these shoes was also met with outrage from members of the public. (Caption: Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes. The liquid on the side of the shoe is supposedly human blood) South Dakota governor Kristi Noem was one of the more high-profile people to take to social media to express their displeasure, and was met with a quick retort from Lil Nas X. The situation got so bad that Nike ended up suing the studio behind the design of the shoe, MSCHF, claiming that the distribution of the so-called “Satan Shoes” was unauthorized. The suit was recently settled and MSCHF agreed to a voluntary recall of all Satan Shoes that were sold. Despite this, Lil Nas X remained unapologetic. He posted an “apology” to his official YouTube account where at first glance it appears he is apologizing for the release and distribution of the Satan Shoes. However, seconds into the apology, it cuts to the now infamous scene from the “MONTERO” video where he is giving the devil a lap dance. 

Despite all of the controversy and hate he has been receiving over the past month, Lil Nas X has remained unwittingly positive and unapologetic about his actions. Out of all of the tweets he has sent out in response to the hate, one in particular stands out: 

“i hope my haters are sad. i hope they are crying. i want your tears to fill my grammy cup”. 

It’s safe to say that nothing can ever shake Lil Nas X’s confidence and his desire to prove the haters wrong.