Lil Nas X admits he “messed up really bad” with his ‘J Christ’ promo but “didn’t mean to mock”

nme.com:

Lil Nas X has admitted he “messed up really bad” with the promotional materials for his new single ‘J Christ’, but insisted that he “didn’t mean to mock” Christianity.The rapper/singer released the song last Friday (January 12) alongside a self-directed video that spoofs various biblical stories.

In the clip, we see Lil Nas portray a godlike figure at the gates of Heaven and play a one-on-one basketball game against Satan.Additionally, the artist is depicted on a crucifix in one scene.

The official ‘J Christ’ cover artwork also shows him on a cross as five bystanders begin to raise him off the ground. Lil Nas X recently denied making a “mockery of Christ” with the image following a backlash.Following further controversy surrounding the visuals, Lil Nas shared a four-and-a-half-minute video message on social media yesterday (January 15).

He captioned the post ‘wanted to get something off my chest’.The star began by explaining that he “wanted to not necessarily apologise” but rather “explain where my head [is] at” with the response to the ‘J Christ’ promo. “So first of all: when I did the artwork, I knew there would be some upset people or whatnot,” he said.Lil Nas went on to acknowledge that “religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people”, but explained that he never meant to offend anyone.“But I also didn’t mean to mock,” he explained. “This wasn’t a ‘Fuck you to you people.