On March 26, musician Lil Nas X released his new song “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” alongside its complementary music video. As always, the internet had a lot to say about it.
The controversial music video depicts Nas being condemned to hell for his sins. He embraces his sentence by suggestively dancing with Satan before killing him, assuming the position of the Lord of the Underworld himself.
The internet was thrown into an immediate panic, with many concerned Nas was promoting satanic worship. Many people took to Twitter to claim the video was dangerous for children to watch as it promoted homosexuality and devil worship. However, this is simply not the case.
Nas came out as gay in 2019 and has since faced backlash for his sexuality and his distaste for traditional gender roles. “Montero” is a song about his journey to love himself — not his journey to love Satan.
Nas is the only actor in his music video, depicting himself as the victim of temptation and the jury that sends him to hell. This is a brilliant strategy used to emphasize the self-hatred Nas dealt with for most of his life because of how others viewed him. Nas explained on Twitter that the song is a reference to all of the people who told him he would burn in hell for being gay. His music video turns this narrative on its head, as Nas shows is aggressive pride for being his true self, taking control of his own fate.
Nas effectively reclaimed his identity and promoted self-confidence while simultaneously condemning those who tried to tear him down. The best part is that the furious and aggressive responses online have only further proven his point.
“Montero” is available on all streaming platforms now.
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