Lil Nas X Addresses 'J Christ' Rollout Criticism: 'I Know I Messed Up'

The track was rolled out with cover art where the musician resembled Jesus on a cross and a music video that showed biblical imagery

Lil Nas X is speaking out after criticism following the release of his latest single, "J Christ."

The track was rolled out with cover art where he resembled Jesus on a cross and a music video that showed biblical imagery. After stating that "Jesus's image is used throughout history in people's art all over the world" on X, formally known as Twitter, following the initial backlash from its cover art, the rapper shared a video explaining his thought process.

"I wanted to not necessarily apologize, but I wanted to explain where my head at and where it's been for like the last week. So first of all, when I did the artwork, I knew there would be some upset people or whatnot simply cause religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people. But I also didn't mean to mock," said the rapper while addressing his fans in a video uploaded on social media Monday.

Related: Lil Nas X Releases Cinematic 'J Christ' Music Video of Biblical Proportions: Watch!

"This wasn't like a 'f--- you to you people. F--- you to the Christians.' It was not that. It was literally me saying, 'Oh, I'm back. I'm back like Jesus.' That was the whole thing," he continued. "I'm not the first person to dress up as Jesus. I'm not the first rapper. I'm not the first artist, and I won't be the last. And I know, given my history with the "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" video, anything that I do related to religion can be seen as mockery. That just was not the case with this."

The musician followed by apologizing for a video released as part of the promotion for the track that showed him drinking and eating communion wine and wafers. He said it was something he thought would lighten the mood but didn't understand the "reality" of.

Related: Lil Nas X Says He's Not Looking to Make a 'Mockery of Jesus' with New Single Cover of Himself on a Cross

"It's me eating the communion, which is the symbolism of Jesus' blood and bones or something like that, I don't remember completely. I didn't mean it as a cannibalism thing or whatever the freak, but I do apologize for that. I will say I am sorry for that," said Lil Nas X.

The "Industry Baby" artist said that while he doesn't "agree with all of Christianity's rules or whatnot," he wanted to be clear about his "own decisions."

"I know I messed up really bad this time, and I can act unbothered all I want, but it's definitely taken a mental toll on me," he said, adding, "I do want my Christian fans to know that I am not against you. I was put on this earth to bring people closer together and promote love, and that's who I am"

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The video ended with Lil Nas X stating that he also intended "no disrespect" with the music video, and hoped people can "move forward."

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