Lil Nas X Discusses His Life, Sexuality, and Inspiration
22-year-old rapper Lil Nas X appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, where he spoke about his growth over the years, embracing his sexuality, and his inspirations.
“HOT BOY SUMMER IS HERE,” said the New York Times Magazine on Instagram. Cover star Lil Nas X wore a purple criss-cross jumpsuit and an elaborate, braided updo. He also wore a black tank top with a seductive opening in the chest.
Lil Nas X covers the New York Times Magazine
— Rap Alert (@rapalert3) July 7, 2021
📸 by Shikeith pic.twitter.com/jPOAMR5yqk
The young heartthrob told Jazmine Hughes about what he’s learned over the past few years. In response to an unrequited crush, Nas reminded himself that, “No matter what I do or accomplish in this life or whatever, I’m never going to get everything I want.” He explained that in the past, he would normally be more upset about a situation like this. However, something inside him changed. He said, “I was like, ‘Hold on, we’re not doing this this time.'”
The star also talked about his recent performance of “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” on Saturday Night Live. As Nas danced with male strippers in a fiery Hell, he split open his pants. He was shocked and held on to his pants for the rest of the song. Instead of holding onto the embarrassment, he gave himself a pep talk in the mirror, reassuring himself that his performance was great and he shouldn’t let one mistake get him down. He even made fun of himself and posted a reaction video to his mishap on Instagram.
Nas grew up with his four siblings in poverty. His parents split when he was six, and he moved to Atlanta with his siblings, mother, and maternal grandmother. After a custody battle, he and his siblings ultimately moved in with their father. He was always a fun and creative kid and created a Twitter account called “@nasmaraj.” It was a fan page dedicated to rapper Nicki Minaj, and he gathered hundreds of thousands of followers. He used his internet fame to gain attention to his music and dropped out of college to do so. He said about his music, “I have this feeling like: You know what? This is mine. This is for me, and I commit myself to it.”
Nas bought a $30 beat on Youtube, wrote “Old Town Road,” and posted the song on SoundCloud. It blew up and charted on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts in March of 2019. Before then, he had tweeted that he wanted Billy Ray Cyrus to join him for a remix. They teamed up and made the No. 1 song in the world for almost five months in a row.
damn i haven’t tweeted about old town road in 5 whole minutes
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 14, 2019
The most important thing Nas opened up about in his interview was his sexuality. He created his Twitter account for Nicki Minaj because she helped him figure out who he was. He was drawn to her because he struggled with being a Black teenager who was in the closet and lived in the south but also had the fieriest personality. His mother became addicted to drugs, and his family had moved to a disliked suburb. His romantic thoughts about other boys and interest in gay porn increased as the church became a bigger part of his life. He felt ashamed of it, like God was testing him. The singer first came out to his sister, who wasn’t surprised. When he came out to his father, he wondered if the devil was just tempting him. Nas knew that his father was just raised differently, and now they are very close.
He also talked about performing at a pride concert at the Glastonbury Festival in Great Britain. He remembered, “People were waving their pride flags, and it was just so much excitement; I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it.’” He decided to come out to his fans in June of 2019. He posted a music video for his song “C7osure,” which is about letting go of the past and being free. Nas wrote, “some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure.” He added a rainbow emoji at the end of his tweet.
some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨ pic.twitter.com/O9krBLllqQ
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) June 30, 2019
“Montero” is very different from “Old Town Road” in that Nas was more willing to show off his sexuality. Coming out made him want to be more than just a pop star. After hiding his true self for so long, he wanted to become a music phenom and a gay icon. He also wanted to convey his humor and down-to-earth persona, especially through his hilarious social media posts.
Fans on Twitter were touched by Nas’ interview. They were also quick to shut down any homophobic remarks.
read the NYT interview/piece with Lil Nas X. powerful stuff, hit close to home
— void / lydia ³³³ (@kingofthe_void) July 7, 2021
EDIT: I love it when homophobic bigots start crawling out of the woodwork anytime LIL NAS X shows up. For a group that says they have no issue with gay people & what they do irl, they get all pressed & bothered when gays do something they don’t like
— ✨Don’s BARA CLUB✨🔑JUST OBLITERATED YOUR DICK🔑 (@Don_the_Trucker) July 7, 2021
The NYT article on Lil Nas X was great but I sure did fuck up by reading the comments. People can be so ignorant.
— Dr Manhattan (@mariejay007) July 7, 2021
Be sure to follow Lil Nas X on Instagram and Twitter – You won’t regret it.
