He — a.k.a.Lil Nas X— is risen!
Lil Nas X.Lil Nas X/YouTube
Lil Nas X/YouTube
In a cheeky move, the video opens to a long line of celebrity lookalikes —Mariah Carey,Barack Obama,Taylor Swift,Kanye West,Oprah Winfreyand others — as they walk up to the pearly white gates of the holy kingdom.
At the end, Lil Nas X (whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill) officially ushers in his next release cycle with text that reads, “Day Zero A New Beginning,” and a biblical verse: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, The old man has passed away; Behold, the new has come.”
Lil Nas X.Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com/Shutterstock
The video’s resurrection theme coincides with the lyrics to “J Christ,” which find Lil Nas X hyping up his return to music and referencing his art’s viral nature. “Is he up to somethin' only I-I know? / Is he ‘bout to hit ‘em with the high-igh note? / Is he ‘bout to give ‘em somethin’ vi-iral? / Is he ‘bout to hit ‘em with the high-igh note?,” he raps on the chorus.
“J Christ” arrives several days after the “Montero” artist announced its release, leading to its Jesus Christ-inspiredsingle artwork of the musician on a cross to go viral.
“MY NEW SINGLE IS DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME," he posted onsocial mediato tease the release, before going on to clarify on X (formerly Twitter) that he’snot looking to offend any religious groups.
After receiving a negative response from some online, he posted onX, “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.”
The pop star added, “I’m not making fun of s—. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. stfu.”
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Lil Nas X.FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Lil Nas X also jokingly posted a fake acceptance letter from the Christian college Liberty University onInstagram, which stated he had been accepted to a dual “Christian Leadership and Biblical Studies” program.
“I know some of yall hate me right now but i want yall to know im literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall,” he wrote in the caption. “Not everything is a troll! Anyways IM A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO.”
“J Christ” marks the first song from the hitmaker in over a year. He last released two one-off singles in 2022: “Star Walkin” and his team-up with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Late to da Party.”
source: people.com
