Entertainment

Lil Nas X Claps Back At Parents Who Think His Music Is For Kids

by Erica Gerald Mason
Lil Nas X/Youtube and Complex/Twitter

Old Town Road singer Lil Nas X has set off a bunch of bored Karens after the debut of his new single, Montero

A tale as old as time. A young star makes a hit song that kiddos love. The young star grows up and makes a waaaaaay more adult song. Parents of kiddos go bonkers. Young star shrugs. In this case, parents have apparently forgotten the lyrics to Old Town Road which go a little something like this:

Lean all in my bladder/cheated on my baby/you can go and ask her/my life is a movie/bull riding and boobies.

Oh, Karen, it was never Pat The Bunny.

The video for Montero, glorious in its middle finger to the hypocritical homophobia of so-called Christians, features Lil Nas X tempted by a snake-slash-man (played by Nas) in the garden of Eden.

After the liaison, Lil Nas X is sentenced and stoned by – wait for it – people who look just like him. Let’s repeat that again for the people in the back:

the people throwing stones at Nas are the people who have more in common with him than they think.

During the bridge of Montero, Lil Nas X dies from the stoning and begins to rise to heaven.

But wait.

As Lil Nas X floats to heaven, a pole appears. And baby, our friend slides that pole all the way to hell. Once in hell (and in to die for black boots), Lil Nas X struts to the devil in his throne (also played by Lil Nas X) and gives Lucifer one hell of a lap dance.

Once finished with his dance, Lil Nas X kills the devil and takes his crown.

If he’s going to hell, then he might as well take it over.

As expected, the video made some people hella mad – the type of anger usually reserved for when a Black person decides to go birdwatching or if a white woman needs to speak to a manager RIGHT NOW.

Lil Nas X, no one’s pushover, was ready with his reply.

When people complained that Montero wasn’t a good follow-up to Old Town Road, a song that was massively popular with kiddos, the singer had words.

Lil Nas X turned off that narrative like a grandparent turning off the news after the lottery numbers were chosen, reminding parents that he’s a grown-ass adult: “I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. That is your job.”

“there was no system involved. i made the decision to create the music video,” Lil Nas X tweeted in response to one person’s assertion that a “system” is targeting kids. “i am an adult. i am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job,” he said.

The singer also wondered what happened to the desire for a world that was less ‘politically correct’.

When another Twitter Karen tried to say that he was, effectively a children’s entertainer, Lil Nas X reminded everybody about some of the lyrics his ‘kid’s song’.

“i literally sing about lean & adultery in old town road,” Lil Nas X wrote. “u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself.”

And when the Karens tried to come for Lil Nas X by saying they wouldn’t stream Old Town Road anymore, our hero couldn’t be bothered.

“they shouldn’t be playing old town road anyway,” Lil Nas X posted. “we streaming call me by your name now 😌 ”

Lil Nas X had the final word about the critics.

“i spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the shit y’all preached would happen to me because i was gay,” he posted. “so i hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach. us to have towards ourselves.”

Once more for the people in the back.