Rapper Lil Nas often questions the sanctity of biblical imagery in his colorful and largely campy music videos, and his latest video is no different.
The southern rapper, known as Montero Lamar Hill, broke into the mainstream with his country rap single “Old Town Road”. The song played 19 weeks on the Billboard 100 charts. Shortly after his song became the longest-running No. 1 song since the chart itself began in 1958, the rapper came out as gay.
But Lil Nas really shook up the industry and conservative politics when he released his hit single “Montero (Call me by your name)” in 2021. The music video featured the rapper wearing knee-high platform boots performing the ultimate pole dancing – slide to hell on the pole and do a lapdance to hell. The video gave conservatives enough ammunition to choose the next target in their culture wars, accusing the rapper of being a devil worshiper and corrupting young listeners with his alleged promiscuity. This single was also the rapper’s first attempt at adding his queer identity to his music. He said in an interview with GQ, the song’s music video was “rebellious on so many levels to me.”
Nearly three years later, Lil Nas is back with another biblically inspired song and video for what he calls his “Christian era.” This is already ruffling the conservatives’ feathers. Here’s everything you need to know about the rapper’s new single “J Christ”:
Before the release of “J Christ”
Before the release of the “J Christ” music video, the rapper was active on social media, generating excitement. He posted clips of himself eating wafers like chips and drinking wine, offering an all-expenses-paid trip to heaven and dressing like a figure resembling Jesus Christ on a cross before Transformers-style morphing into a robotic figure.
He also has job an admissions letter from Christian school Liberty University on Instagram that said he was “about to go to college for Bible studies in the fall. It’s not all a troll!”
The letter said he had been accepted to the school for the fall 2024 semester in a “double concentration in Christian leadership and biblical studies.”
“Montero, the entire Liberty family congratulates you! Now is the time to train as a Champion of Christ,” the letter said.
However, a university spokesperson said in a statement to Billboard “We can confirm that Liberty University has not issued Montero Hill’s ‘acceptance letter’ posted on social media yesterday, and we have no record of Montero Hill applying to the university.”
Of course, the big clue that it was fake for anyone paying attention was that the letter was signed by Jerry Falwell, who is dead.
A Breakdown of the “J Christ” Music Video
On Friday, the “J Christ” video was finally released. It opens with a long line of people dressed in white, appearing to be heading towards the staircase leading to heaven. They imitate celebrities and public figures like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West and Barack Obama. As they enter heaven, we see Lil Nas as a white angel without wings. After a glimpse of a figure resembling Michael Jackson and a brief dip into hell, we’re back in heaven with Lil Nas taking on the devil in a basketball game in a packed stadium.
He sings in slam dunks:
Is he planning something only I know?
Is he about to hit them with the high note?
Is he about to give them something vi-iral?
In quick succession, we see Lil Nas as a cheerleader leading a group dance, then Lil Nas dressed as Jesus Christ on the cross, then a shepherd shearing a lamb. Meanwhile, the world is on the brink of destruction and Lil Nas transforms into Noah who leads his animals to the ark that will save their lives. The video ends with Lil Nas leading the ark into clear waters.
A Bible verse depicts Lil Nas’ parting words on screen:
“Therefore if anyone is Christ/He is a new creation. The old has passed away; Behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
The reaction of the right
As soon as the video was released, Christian rapper Bryson Gray denounced the images of Lil Nas dressed as Jesus and called on other Christians to also publicly condemn him.
Gray said Fox News: “I think he’s making fun of Christianity. He’s making fun of Christ. That’s why he’s using Christian imagery to do it.”
He continued: “He’s doing it in order to make fun of us because that’s how he gets his clicks. I don’t care if he gets clicks on the reaction of Christians. I want to see more Christians react.”
But Lil Nas took to the internet to respond to his critics. He said: “The crazy thing is nowhere in the image, it’s a mockery of Jesus. The image of Jesus is used throughout history in the art of people around the world .”
“I’m not making fun of this bullshit. You just need to stop trying to keep control of a religion that existed before we were even born,” he said.
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