Lil Nas X Drops "Industry Baby" Music Video, Fundraises for The Bail Project

Sara Delgado
·3 min read
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Lil Nas X has released yet another banger just in time to make your weekend 10x better.

Continuing from the most perfect teaser, which took his legal battle with Nike over the now-infamous “Satan Shoes” as inspiration, the video for his new song "Industry Baby" finds the singer in Montero State Prison. The skit teaser, which has since been posted to his YouTube channel as a prelude, saw him sentenced to five years. Now, we see Lil Nas X’s life as an inmate – which includes naked shower flash mobs and great escapes in the vein of Shawshank Redemption. (Per the video’s credits, the story was written by Lil Nas X himself.)

Aside from being an iconic video, “Industry Baby” is also a YouTube fundraiser benefitting non-profit organization The Bail Project. “Music is the way I fight for liberation. But true freedom requires change in how the criminal justice system works, starting with cash bail,” Lil Nas X wrote on the fundraiser description. “I know the pain that incarceration brings to a family, and I know the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on Black Americans. There are so many stories that call on us to take action, and I invite you to join me in this important civil [rights] issue.”

The song, featuring Kentucky-born rapper Jack Harlow, is produced by music duo Take a Daytrip and Kanye West and opens with triumphant horns that make for a perfect Spongebob meme, which we know Lil Nas X absolutely loves. The boisterous track promises to follow the success of Lil Nas X’s previous hits like “Old Town Road” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”

Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1’s New Music Daily, the singer also revealed the track has been an opportunity to be unapologetically himself. “When I was like, ‘I don't I don't fuck b*tches I'm queer.’ — I feel like that was important, because I already knew this song was going to be very much a rap heavy song. And I felt like I knew who's going to listen to this. So let me make sure I'm doubling down because a lot of people have been saying, ‘Oh, well I like his music, but he's sus sometimes.’ It was like, ‘No,’ like this is literally... This is me. This is me moving forward,” Lil Nas X said. “That wasn't a moment, you know? I'm not really trying to make sure any audience that's listening to my music is comfortable. I am going to do me and you know, ‘Oh, I hope they love it,’ you know?”

Check out some of the best reactions (and memes) to Lil Nas X's “Industry Baby” below:

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue