Dressed in full regalia, Lil Nas X led his dancers in a drumline onstage, stripped down to track pants, and marched into Montero State Prison. He performed a live debut of “Industry Baby” joined by collaborating rapper Jack Harlow. He picked up 3 wins at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, including the coveted Video of the Year award. Lil Nas X’s pop culture dominance is indisputable. And all of these things have conspired to make Lil Nas X a phenomenon that will be remembered for much more than phenomenal record sales. As followers and critics argue over the propriety of a lap dance for Satan, a butt naked prison shower scene, or a cisgender man’s pregnancy photoshoot, they engage in highly public dialogues on the rights of queer sexual and gender expression. His pithy clap backs expose the structural cracks of the most commonly used homophobic arguments and pinpoint the heterosexist double standards by which he is judged. He releases widely acclaimed work and homophobes, resentful of his mass appeal, attack as if driven by primal urge rather than clear reason. His videos and live performances display unambiguously queer Black sexiness before mainstream audiences. His releases shatter sales and streaming records. Lil Nas X is a self-affirming Black gay millennial, a megastar still rising, and an impresario of social media.
