Lil Nas X Just Dropped His New Music Video, And He Literally Flirts With The Devil

Right off the bat, Lil Nas is letting fans know that he’s done hiding. He’s done letting others shame him for his sexuality and identity, and he’s ready to embrace his true form — in a world reimagined: Montero.

But as he is shown wistfully strumming his guitar and singing the lines, “You livin’ the life, but … you ain’t livin’ right,” he implies that the boy he loves is closeted.

This garden looks much more exciting, though.

The writing on the tree was pulled from Plato’s Symposium, which, for those who don’t know (me), is a philosophical text about some men gathering at a banquet in honor of the god of love and desire. Hot.

Well, “drags” is a strong word. It’s more like he graciously accepts his fate.

God, give me the confidence of Lil Nas X when he literally struts into hell.

Not hard to read between the lines here. At this point, I think we know what Lil Nas X is trying to say about the homophobic slurs and prejudice he’s experienced as a gay Black man in the music industry (and life).

I think there’s a lot that he could be saying here: Not only is he fully trolling those who have undoubtedly told him he’s “going to hell” for his sexuality, but it could also be a nod to his confession earlier this year that he was at one point suicidal — i.e., dancing with death.

He seduces the devil and then snaps his neck like a twig before claiming his rightful place on the throne.

To me, it suggests he is making a point that while others were holding him back, he was ultimately the one who refused to embrace his true identity.