Lil Nas X apologizes amid backlash for depicting himself as Jesus: 'Messed up really bad'
Rapper Montero Lamar Hill, also known as Lil Nas X, apologized Monday amid backlash to recent material he released that prompted accusations of "mocking Christianity."
"I know I messed up really bad this time," Hill, who became famous for his 2018 hit single "Old Town Road," said in an Instagram video. "I can act unbothered all I want, but it's definitely taken a mental toll on me. I'm not some evil demon guy trying to destroy everybody's values and stuff like that. That's not me."
Hill, who recently claimed to be entering his "Christian era," issued the apology on the heels of the release of his new single "J Christ." The music video of the song, which suggests his career comeback is akin to Jesus rising from the dead, depicts him on a cross and also evokes biblical imagery such as Jacob's Ladder and Noah's Flood. The video closes by quoting 2 Corinthians 5:17.
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In the lead-up to the single's release, Hill tweeted an image of himself being lifted on a cross and also published a video on Instagram and TikTok that depicted him dressed as Jesus while he mockingly partook of the Lord's Supper in a church.
Hill tweeted a fake acceptance letter to Liberty University last week that appeared to show he had been accepted to the Evangelical institution next fall for a "dual concentration in Christian leadership and biblical studies."
A spokesperson for Liberty confirmed to The Christian Post at the time that the letter was not real.
Hill said in his recent apology on Instagram that he understands religion is "a very sensitive topic for a lot of people," but maintained that he "didn't mean to mock; this wasn't like a f— you to you people. … It was literally me saying I'm back like Jesus."
Regarding the recent video that showed him guzzling communion wine and pouring the wafers of the eucharist down his throat, Hill said he "thought that video was going to be the video to lighten the mood."
Saying he didn't understand the symbolism of the Lord's Supper, Hill said, "I didn't understand the reality of what it is … but I do apologize for that. I will say I am sorry for that. That was overboard."
In an apparent reference to a scene in the "J Christ" music video that shows him fighting Satan in a ring, Hill said he thought it showed him "clearly not being on the side of the devil in that video" and that he felt it was evident "there was an understanding there that I am not like trying to diss Christianity."
Hill drew criticism for his promo material from Christians, including fellow rappers Bryson Gray and Korey Yeshua, who accused him of mocking Christians.
"People will defend this because they worship these celebrities," Yeshua said in a TikTok video last week. "They have made idols out of these celebrities. People need to realize there is a spiritual war happening between the light and the dark, between good and evil."
In an Instagram post last Thursday, Gray hit back at those who suggest Christians and conservatives should ignore Hill's behavior because he is using it "to promote his album and get clout."
Gray urged Christians instead to rebuke Hill, suggesting the rapper would have faced harsh punishment if he had done what he was doing in biblical times.
"I'm seeing many Christians and conservatives saying that 'Christians shouldn't give Lil Nas X any attention because he's only blaspheming and mocking Christ to promote his album and to get clout," Gray said. "They're right about what Lil Nas X is trying to do. But, they are completely wrong about how Christians should respond."
"All biblical Christians, we should be using Lil Nas X in two ways. One: Lil Nas X should be used for us to rally Christians up. Because if you're a Christian and you're not calling out the clear blasphemy. And I'm tired of people calling out stuff in the weak ways: 'I will pray for you brother.' Lil Nas X is not a brother. In biblical times, he would've got smoked instantly," he continued.
"Lil Nas X needs pure rebuke right now. And Christians need to be rebuking him. So we should be using Lil Nas X to bring the body of Christ that is so fractured and separated and all over the place [together]. We should be rallying behind each other to call out sin and to defend our Lord and Savior," Gray added.
Gray told Fox News Digital that he believes Lil Nas X is potentially a "reprobate" as described in Romans 1, which teaches that such behavior is a sign of divine judgment.
The imagery in Hill's music video drew applause from David Harris, a magister with the Church of Satan, who called it "fantastic," according to TMZ.
Harris previously praised Hill for implementing occult imagery in his media campaigns, such as when he released 666 limited-edition pairs of "Satan shoes" in 2021 to promote his song "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)," which also featured demonic themes such as giving a lap dance to Satan in Hell.
