Lil Nas X responds to ‘Industry Baby’ video backlash

The rapper took directly to Twitter to speak to his haters, calling them out for homophobic rhetoric and highlighting the double standard when it comes to themes and imagery in Hip-Hop

Lil Nas X is not here for the homophobia. The rapper took to Twitter over the weekend to respond to backlash from his “Industry Baby” music video, writing, “ya’ll hate gay people.”

To say that Lil Nas X is pushing boundaries is an understatement. Living truthfully as a gay Black man in Hip-Hop, the rapper has used his platform, his artistry and music to break norms and make waves in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. From his “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video to his much-talked about BET performance, Nas X seems to be here to stay, and is letting his haters know that he has every right to be.

As theGrio previously reported, Nas X’s latest single, “Industry Baby,” broke the internet when its music video dropped last Friday. Set in the fictional “Montero State Prison,” the video highlights gay men twerking around the rapper and even features a nude dance break set in the prison showers. With lyrics about his queerness and visuals already deemed “iconic” by fans, the music video has been another hit for the rapper, with it already having reached 30 million views on YouTube in just four days.

Still, like his previous videos with LGBTQ+ themes, he has faced some backlash from trolls online, and Nas X has proved he has all the time in the world to clap back at anyone hurling homophobic comments at him. In a post, author and social commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins tweeted about the video, “#LilNasX isn’t fighting for gay rights. He’s marketing the sexual irresponsibility that’s causing young men to die from AIDS. Being gay is one thing, but being a super spreader is another. There’s nothing healthy or helpful about that video. Especially for children.”

Many fans were quick to call out the tweet and the double standard when it comes to heterosexual men in Hip-Hop, which almost always features highly sexual themes, only from the straight male perspective. Nas X quoted the tweet to respond himself, writing, “y’all be silent as hell when n-ggas dedicate their entire music catalogue to rapping about sleeping with multiple women. but when i do anything remotely sexual i’m “being sexually irresponsible” & “causing more men to die from aids” y’all hate gay ppl and don’t hide it.”

In a now-deleted tweet implying Nas X should hide his sexuality like generations of artists past, he replied, “many, if not all, of these artists had to hide their sexuality for majority of their career. you seem to only respect gay artists when the gay part is tucked away. you don’t like me because i embrace my sexuality instead of hiding it and never speaking on it for your comfort.”

It seems like the rapper is also letting his single’s success speak for itself. After reaching #1 on the Spotify charts just two days after its release, Nas X wrote in a tweet, “thank u to every single person who made this happen I f-ckin love u!!!!”

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The post Lil Nas X responds to ‘Industry Baby’ video backlash appeared first on TheGrio.