Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Nas X teased that he is leaving his “Old Town Road” for a new Christian one on Instagram last week. But Tyrese Gibson, the popular “Fast and Furious” franchise actor, warned him to “stop playing with God.”
In a post on Instagram, Lil Nas X asked, “Y’all mind if I enter my Christian era?” He then included snippet of a yet to be released new song and video of him wearing a long skirt while singing in street:
Father stretch my hands.
The lonely road seems to last the longest,
Help me with my plans,
Everything seems to go to nowhere,
Free me from worry and wanting pity.
Free me from all this envy in me.
I don’t want these feelings.
I call on angels.
I’m trying hard to face my pain.
Give me hope when I feel less.
Angels, I’m trying hard to keep my faith.
The news of Lil Nas X announcing his “Christian era” came as a shock to many, including Gibson, due to the satanic imagery in Lil Nas X’s video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” In that video, the outspoken gay rapper pole dances his way down from heaven into hell to give Satan a lap dance.
In addition to the video, Lil Nas X partnered with MSCHF to create limited edition “Satan Shoes,” which were a modified pair of Nike Air Max 97s.
As ChurchLeaders reported, the shoes reportedly contained a drop of human blood mixed with red ink in the sole of each shoe. Precisely 666 pairs were made available, representing the sinister mark of Satan. On the side of each shoe was a reference to Luke 10:18—a verse referring to Satan’s fall from heaven. The shoelaces of the shoes included a pentagram and the sneakers were adorned with upside-down crosses.
The shoes were so controversial that Nike, which had nothing to do with their creation, was awarded a temporary restraining order against MSCHF, which prevented MSCHF from shipping the Satan Shoe. The shoes were $1,018 a pair and 665 were sold, allowing Lil Nas X to give away the 666th pair.
“Sorry guys I’m legally not allowed to give the 666th pair away anymore because of the crying nerds on the internet,” Lil Nas X told his social media followers.
Gibson, who credits his late mother for his faith in Jesus, warned Lil Nas X that God is not someone to be mocked. “Y’all gone learn to stop playing with God…God is not to be played with…From shoes with devil signs and devils [sic] blood in the show sole,” Gibson said. “We can all change I get it but I feel a way about people making a mockery about Jesus…Do you, live your life…Do what makes you happy but y’all better stop playing with Jesus out here…”
Lil Nas X responded to Gibson, “This really crazy cuz all i did was post a song about asking god for hope when you feel hopeless and yall acting like I posted a video of me burning a church down and peeing on a nativity scene.”
The 24-year-old rapper also responded to a claim that his debut album, “Montero,” was satanic. “The devil is mentioned ONE time throughout my entire last album and the line is ‘Tell the the devil I wont have him inside, I know everything’s gonna be alright,’” he said. “Y’all have spent this entire last week rewriting history over me releasing a snippet.”
“Y’all see everything I do as a gimmick,” he added in another post. “When in reality I’m just an artist expressing myself in different ways. Whether I’m a cowboy, gay, satanic, or now Christian y’all find a problem! Y’all don’t police nobody else art like mine. Y’all hate me because I’m fun cute and petite.”
Lil Nas X made it clear that making “Christian music” doesn’t change his sexuality. “Making Christian music does not mean I can’t suck d*** no more,” Lil Nas X said. “The two are not mutually exclusive. I am allowed to get on my knees for multiple reasons.”
Lil Nas X is not the first popular artist to announce a shift toward Christian music. The controversial Kanye West appeared to break the Christian music barrier when he released “Jesus Is King” in 2019 after he converted to Christianity not long before the album’s release. West followed his award-winning album with “Donda,” which also contained gospel-centered lyrics, and he was recently named Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist for 2023.
The Gospel Music Association (GMA) awarded West the Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year at the 2020 Dove Awards for his song “Follow God,” a single that was West’s most successful Christian release on the U.S. Christian Song charts.
After the release of “Donda,” West’s erratic behavior, which included antisemitic remarks, not only resulted in a divorce from his wife, Kim Kardashian, but has also led people to doubt how genuine his commitment to Christ really is. West returned to using explicit lyrics in his latest single, “Vultures.”
Grace Baldridge, better known as Semler—a queer musician who has topped the iTunes Christian charts more than once and has attempted to force her way in to the GMA—posted on social media that “[Lil Nas X is] gonna win a Dove before me
.”