By Deirdre Durkan-simonds For Dailymail.com
01:32 10 Jan 2024, updated 02:12 10 Jan 2024
- Lil Nas X broke his silence over the controversy surrounding his new single
- The rapper made it clear that he was not looking to make a ‘mockery of Jesus’
- He also claimed to have plans to release a gospel album
Lil Nas X is defending his song, J Christ, against substantial religious backlash.
After sparking outrage for sharing provocative artwork of himself depicted as a Christlike figure, the rapper, 24, broke his silence over the controversy on Tuesday.
‘The crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of Jesus. Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world,’ he tweeted
He continued: ‘I’m not making fun of s**t. y’all just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. stfu [shut the f**k up].’
After defending himself on social media, the two-time Grammy winner (born Montero Lamar Hill) shared his acceptance letter to Liberty University, where he plans on studying Christian leadership and biblical studies.
‘I know some of y’all hate me right now but I want y’all to know I’m literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall. Not everything is a troll! Anyways I’M A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO,’ he captioned the letter.
Despite him insisting that he plans to attend the private evangelical Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, many of his plans still speculated it was all a prank.
One sign that the letter may be fake is it is signed by Jerry Falwell, who died in 2007. Meanwhile his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., served as the president of Liberty University until resigning in August 2020 amidst a sex scandal.
Additionally, he shared posts from fans that defended him on X (previously known as Twitter).
‘If y’all truly cared about religion like y’all say u do, you could easily see how heavy of a Christian he & his family is,’ one follower wrote. ‘Yall wanna gatekeep people from religion so bad, it’s not him making religion look bad it’s y’all making it look bad by saying who can & can’t be a Christian.’
‘Maybe if y’all looked at lil nas x’s music videos as movies y’all would be less sensitive idk,’ reads another tweet, reposted to his X account.
On Monday, he faced immediate backlash for sharing artwork of himself posing on a cross, like Jesus Christ, while wearing a crown of thorns.
‘MY NEW SINGLE IS DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME!’ he wrote, alongside the image, on Twitter.
On his Instagram Story, Lil Nas X wrote: ‘I like how the world decided I am mocking, when I literally have been working on a gospel album.’
‘Like are y’all purposely ignorant?’ he asked his more than 11.5 million Instagram followers. ‘But, the truth never matters.’
His upcoming track, J Christ, comes out on Friday, January 12.
In November 2023, the singer teased that he was entering his ‘christian era.’
The hitmaker previously offended some conservative Christians and right-wing figures with previous songs referencing his sexuality.
The complaints reached a fever pitch in 2021 with the release of his single Montero (Call Me By Your Name).
The song’s music video featured the rapper and singer dressing up at times with dark wings and horns, which was described by some of his critics — and defenders — as satanic imagery.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
