Lil Nas X’s Controversial ‘J CHRIST’ Song and Music Video
Lil Nas X poses in the press room at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
Lil Nas X has made good on his promise to enter his “Christian era” — no matter who that offends. The singer and rapper debuted the music video for his new single, “J CHRIST,” having many people upset about his imagery. Lil Nas X, who has been teasing this new era of his since late November, has finally backed up his claims. At first, the 24-year-old Georgia native made it seem like his new music would be slowed, down, acoustic Christian music by the y’all mind if i enter my christian era ? pic.twitter.com/A6FHTK3MOE
— ☆ ‧dreamboy··‧̩̥˟͙冬˟͙‧̩̥l (@LilNasX) November 30, 2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clip he teased on X (formerly Twitter). “Father stretch my hands,” he lip-synced, while having a hard time hiding his smile. “The lonely road seems to last the longest. Help me with my plans. Everything seems to go to nowhere.” He also wore a t-shirt that read: “If God doesn’t exist, then who’s laughing at us?”
Controversial Christian
Tyrese Gibson responded to the video, calling out the artist on his “shoes with devil signs,” adding that he “better stop playing with Jesus.” Lil Nas X clapped back: “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.” He clarified that making Christian music does not mean he is no longer gay. He adds, “the two are not mutually exclusive. i am allowed to get on my knees for multiple reasons.” The following day, he said everything he does is seen as a gimmick, “when in reality im just an artist expressing myself in different ways. whether im 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 im fun cute and petite.”
Not Satanic
In Friday’s video, Lil Nas X kicks off the video with lookalikes of superstar celebrities filing in to get into heaven. Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, and Barack Obama were among the chosen. As the music begins, Lil Nas X faces off against the devil in a basketball game and easily wins. After a quick outfit change as a nod to the Bring It On movies, what got people the most angry online was the next scene, which sees the artist depicted as Jesus outstretched on a cross. With more biblical imagery throughout the rest of the nearly three-minute-long video, the musician revealed he wrote and directed everything as well.
Watch the video below:
Popular streamers Kai Cenat and Adin Ross have made it clear that they aren’t fans. Cenat called LNX “extremely disrespectful. He disrespected God himself… he disrespected the whole culture.” Ross claimed that the rapper is going to hell because of his sexuality. “First of all, you’re gay,” he said during a stream. “You’re automatically going to hell. Second of all, this s— is not okay.” Not everyone was a hater of the new song and visuals. One fan wrote: “all he do is serve lmaoo y’all could never make me hate him.”
These Celebrities Don't Go By Their Real Names
In the entertainment industry, every aspect needs to be marketable. Some celebrities have really catchy names, while others have had to get their creative juices flowing to come up with a unique name to be known for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, there are some cases where there are other successful people in media who have the same name, and someone’s got to change their name to follow SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) rules. This guild that represents actors stipulates that no two members can have identical working names. An actor whose name has already been taken must choose a new name. SAG-AFTRA allows any new member to keep their legal name as their stage name, even if another member has the same stage name already, as long as they sign a waiver.
Why Use a Stage Name?
Furthermore, a middle name may be adopted in preference to changing a name to avoid confusion. In some cases, attaching a generational suffix is sufficient for guild rules. A person hoping to become successful as an entertainer who has a name identical to a name already familiar to the public (in any field of endeavor) may change their name to avoid having their name evoke the other person with the same name. When it comes to musicians spanning all genres, artists have come up with some pretty unique stage names. Some artists, like Sean Combs, use several aliases (P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Diddy, Puffy). Other reasons a performer will take a stage name is because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, hard to pronounce or spell, or even to retain anonymity. The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, started releasing his music anonymously on YouTube in 2009.
See which celebrities don’t go by their real name in the entertainment industry.
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
