Lil Nas X is continuing his brave music advent and with no sign of grinding to a halt soon.
The singer-cum-rapper just dropped Industry Baby, a cut from his next full-length album Montero and it is bold and intrepid as they come, suffice to say.
The catchy record, co-produced by Kanye West and that features rapper Jack Harlow, is albeit a not-so-subtle dig at his naysayers, especially following his most recent controversies that saw his name plastered in many a headline. From the Nike controversy, to him lap-dancing ‘satan,’ to him pulling a Madonna-Britney-Aguilera and kissing a man on a televised TV performance, he has had quite the talk-worthy run.
The prison-themed video kickstarts with him being sentenced to 5 years in the fictional Montero State Prison for being gay by the judge – both roles played by Nas. The singer then strips down to his birthday suit, as do his back-up dancers, in one of the first scenes. The sexually-charged video is also a noble cause, as Nas teamed up with the Bail Project to help end cash bail in the US.
The song came complete with a letter Nas penned to his 20-year-old self to boot:
“Dear 20 year old Montero,
I wrote a song for us. I know sometimes you feel like it’s all downhill from here. I know your sexuality has made you feel like an outcast amongst your peers. I know going from having the biggest song in the world to being trapped in your apartment is weighing heavy on you. And I know if you hear the phrase ‘one hit wonder’ one more time you might combust. But I need you to keep going. I need you to realize that you have the opportunity to be the person that you needed growing up. I need you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. And I need you to remember that the only person who has to believe in YOU is YOU. — lnx.”
Nas’ forthcoming debut full-length album Montero drops later this year.