In the video, he is sentenced to serve five years in a prison named after himself - another nod at internalized homophobia, which he sang about in a previous song, “Sun Goes Down.” He went to the lengths of changing his profile pictures to a mug shot and filming a Tyler Perry / Madea-style courtroom scene where he starred as the judge, defendant, prosecution and ultimately himself. Not discouraged, he used this lawsuit as a lucrative launching point for his next single.įor roughly four months, Lil Nas X used his Twitter and TikTok accounts to amp up the court date for the Nike lawsuit, all while subtly setting up the theme of the “Industry Baby” video. The company filed suit against Lil Nas X and MSCHF and recalled the shoes. However, Nike was not so pleased with the publicity. The shoes were a hit and all 666 pairs sold out in minutes. Lil Nas X collaborated with company MSCHF to sell 666 pairs of limited-edition black Nikes refitted with red soles, satanic emblems and a drop of human blood. However, the bigger controversy was sparked by a pair of shoes.
The Asexuality Spectrum and Its Wide Range of Identities Examples include Tegan and Sara, King Princess, Troye Sivan and “lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko, who have all had success in their own ways but are not considered mainstream artists. by using same-sex pronouns for love interests) are usually signed by smaller labels and can only produce music for a niche audience.
Lady Gaga isn’t overtly sexually queer but her aesthetics resonated with queer people, especially after the release of her gay anthem, “Born This Way.” LGBTQ+ musicians who are out and express their queerness in their music (i.e. I knew that Lance Bass was gay, but he had to hide his identity, and Ricky Martin’s music career was basically over by the time he came out. Very seldom did I find overtly gay musicians. Growing up queer, I always looked for LGBTQ+ people in the media I consumed. George Michael, Tracy Chapman, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Elton John are examples of successful queer artists who, for the majority of their careers, had to hide or mask their sexualities to maintain their success within the industry. Coming out could end their careers or even lives. Queer people have always existed in every aspect of entertainment - they have just spent forever hiding themselves in their art.
#LIL NAS X GAY MUSIC VIDEO TV#
The song was masterfully marketed and the video is boldly queer, showing us again how Lil Nas X is changing mainstream music for gay artists.Ĭhildren’s TV Shows Are Gradually Getting Better at LGBT Representation The latter’s verse does nothing in terms of pushing the supposed “gay agenda” trolls constantly allege that Lil Nas X spreads Harlow and Lil Nas X each openly express their own unique sexualities. It says a lot that Lil Nas X chose to have men dance on him while the only woman in the video is hypersexualized by Harlow. The video features up-and-coming rapper Jack Harlow as an inmate who helps Nas escape. He raps the lyrics, “You was never really rooting for me anyway” while performing a flamboyant choreography that finds him naked in the prison showers with other inmates. Three months later, Lil Nas X shows off a new set of grills, tattoos and a few inmates who give him lap dances in between cleaning the Grammys and plaques he has garnered from previous releases. Just like that, after weeks of teasing on TikTok, “Industry Baby” is free.Lil Nas X has delivered to the gays again with his most recent release, “ Industry Baby.” The music video begins with Lil Nas X being sentenced to five years in the aptly named Montero State Prison for being gay. Don’t make us change our minds! Meanwhile, Lil Nas X dives straight into a hole … and out of jail. “Y’all shouldn’t have let the world gas me,” Harlow raps. “But these nigga bitches like Madea.” Produced by Take a Daytrip and Donda’s baby Kanye West, “Industry Baby” features Jack Harlow on the song and in the video, as Nas X’s (canonical straight) escape accomplice. “I don’t fuck bitches I’m queer,” Lil Nas X raps while working out next to a Jason Momoa. In the showers, they break it down, fully naked, fully themselves, and glowing. … ) In a universe where he’s sentenced to Montero State Prison (guilty of his mama knowing he gay, as the teaser explained), Lil Nas X becomes the leader of a Bussy Posse, leading his crew of cuties by his pockets. But with “Industry Baby” and its music video, Lil Nas X proves he will always stay on top. They truly believed they had him when they put the weight of capitalism behind recalling his Satan shoes. They thought they did something when they took him off the country charts.