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The TownhallSocial issues

Lil Nas X, or, how did Hip-Hop get to this point?

By Kevin Willis

In recent weeks, Montero Lamar Hill, also known as rapper Lil Nas X, has been making countless headlines. Whether it’s posing as a pregnant man or telling parents concerned about his effects on the youth, “f—k yo’ kids,” Mr. Nas X parades himself as an attention-seeking jester. More so, a jester obviously being used to push an idea amongst his sole fanbase… children! 

So, how did we get to this point? In my wildest dreams I could never see this in the land of hip-hop. It’s a genre where men boast and brag about cars, money, and women while displaying a macho frame that makes women want them and men want to be them. 

As a young rap fan, seeing music videos of a talented rapper speak powerful rhymes was as good as it gets. I remember my mother having the biggest crush on Big Daddy Kane. She’d run to the television just as fast as I did when his videos came on. Big Daddy Kane was cool, manly, and hardcore while the women loved him. This was the ideal prototype of the male hip-hop artist. 

However, as rap began to take on more sexual themes, content began to shift. Now, lyrics are far more vulgar, with female artists “expressing” themselves more openly while record labels make money by the boatload. 

Hip-Hop is now excessively creating attention from tabloids and rumor mills. One thing common in the 1990’s was simply calling out a rapper’s sexual preference(s). Shock jock Wendy Williams infamously questioned Sean “P. Diddy” Combs sexuality over HOT 97’s airwaves. Although it led to her termination, it raised eyebrows at not only Mr. Combs, but other rappers viewed as closeted gay men. 

At that time, a simple accusation from a disgruntled business associate, radio host, journalist, or even a tour groupie was all that was necessary to put a male hip-hop artist in hot water. On the other hand, this form of witch hunting was only the beginning.  

Entering the new millennium. Hip-Hip became global. One thing that stood out, of course, was the style: baggy jeans, Timberland boots, diamond jewelry, and baseball hats. If anyone wanted to blend in with the machismo style of hip-hop, that was the attire. 

Introducing rap’s first attempt at an openly gay rapper was an artist named Caushun (pronounced ‘caution’). Caushun’s scheme was to apply the image of a typical rapper, while displaying feminine movements. Genuine or not, Caushun utilized this carbon copy imagery to start a rap career in an era not privy to the idea at all

But he only sparked a few appearances on B.E.T and random magazine articles. Before long, Caushun’s fifteen minutes were up, and he was bounced out of the rap industry before an album could even be recorded. His in-your-face flamboyantly gay brashness mixed with urban style was too much for the culture to handle at the time.  

Ironically, a new wave of young artists began to take form. Oddly enough, pushing forward into today’s era, these young men now dressed femininely while denying being homosexual. 

Artists like Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Rocky, Lil B and many more have donned women’s garments from dresses and extremely tight pants, down to even the jewelry. Yet, when confronted about such style, the lame duck responses about being eccentric and creative rolls off their tongue. 

Recently, Kid Cudi sported a spaghetti-strap, floral-printed dress while performing his song, “Sad People.” When Twitter users asked him about the style choice, Cudi stated he was honoring Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana. The fact that he had point that out rather than it being obvious to viewers shows how full of crap Mr. Cudi was. 

I’ve seen dozens of Michael Jackson performance tributes and was fully aware upon watching them. Not to mention, another man, fashion designer Virgil Abloh, created the dress along with making it available in stores

This is not Dapper Dan creating a Gucci outfit for LL Cool J, or Jamaica Queens’ Shirt Kings displaying funky airbrushed art for RUN-DMC. This is a grown man, making a dress for another adult man who said another male inspired him to perform in it.  

This brings us to today’s superstar, Lil Nas X. Like most artists of today, he mysteriously jumped onto the scene with a catchy tune that was hard to ignore. Mr. X’s “Old Town Road” record was a huge hit, topping the charts for a long period, earning a Grammy and even spawning a remix with country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. 

Although cheesy, the song appeared innocent and fun for children to sing along to. This level of virtue led Mr. X to an appearance on Sesame Street, a children’s book, and even performances at elementary schools. This further endorsed the fact Mr. X was comfortable with having young children as his core fan base. 

Lil Nas X seemed like yet another celebrity who struck gold with a hit record and enjoyed their brief stay in the music industry. Like the others, his follow up hits didn’t match the standard of “Old Town Road.” The title of one hit wonder began to float in Lil Nas X’s direction when singles “Holiday,” “Panini,” and “Rodeo,” all failed to have the same or better impact as his initial hit. 

With a career in jeopardy, Lil Nas X pulled today’s celebrity “Break in Case of Emergency” lever and came out as gay. Following that was an all-out victimhood tour about how fearful he was and how difficult the affirmation was. Every interview, public appearance, and feature almost certainly placed emphasis on his coming out party, almost to the point of annoyance. 

Kevin Hart caught flack for saying “who cares?” during a roundtable interview of HBO’s The Show. Nas  X responded, discussing his views on gay acceptance today. Once Kevin Hart shrugged his shoulders at the rapper’s over-the-top dramatization of his lifestyle, the left-wing media chewed up the comedian for not displaying a level of affection and sensitivity to Mr. X. 

After that, the level of desperation Lil Nas X displayed to show his “pride” became stranger. The ultimate low point, however, was Lil Nas X’s video for the song “Montero (Call me by your name).” In the video, the rapper swings down a stripper pole onto Satan and proceeds to give him a lap dance. 

Since its debut in early spring, the video amassed 358 million views on YouTube. Nike even endorsed the video with a limited-edition Nike shoe with a devilish theme containing human blood within the sole. 

From there, Nas X continued with explicit performances at award shows where he kissed male dancers. He also created another music video portraying gay prison lifestyle with “Industry Baby.” It’s safe to say that Nas X is not as fearful as he was prior to coming out. 

Why is that? Well, Lil Nas X is protected by the LGBTQ community. So, when rappers like Boosie, DaBaby, Benzino, Tory Lanez, and Joyner Lucas speak out, they’re automatically attacked by news media and other virtue-signaling celebrities who portray Lil Nas X as morally right. In other words, bitches, ho’s, murder, and robbery is just fine; just don’t call out a man displaying explicit homosexuality among his fans who probably haven’t hit puberty yet. 

The issue is not that Lil Nas X is of the LGBTQ community. The problem is his influence. He came in on a trojan horse portraying himself as a fun-loving cowboy that caught the ears of young kids. Almost overnight, BAM, he became a homosexual who wants to parade himself as a sex symbol. 

Or look at how he went from believing in children being his central audience to “Fuck yo’ Kids!” on The Breakfast Club, another vehicle pushing these thoughts within the rap world. 

This successful plot to infiltrate rap wasn’t done solely by Lil Nas X himself either. 

Lil Nas X has what Caushun, ILovemakkonen, Taylor Bennet, and other rappers who display an alternative lifestyle don’t have.

He has a massive record label backing him, the internet’s influence, left wing-politics, and the main ingredient, the ears and minds of children. The result? Lil Nas X… currently the biggest star in Hip-Hip.

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Kevin Willis

Writer
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