Lil Nas X, Here’s why “J Christ” Doesn’t Work
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
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Lil Nas X recently dropped the lead single, J Christ, for his upcoming album and it has got folks in a tizzy. I wanted to explore some of my concerns around this kind of imagery while also addressing where and how I think religious iconography can exist within the space of secular music. What are your thoughts?
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Im realizing that because they hate queerness they see it as mocking automatically. They cant see it as a positive portrayal of jesus cause queerness isnt positive to them
Nah girl u don't say 😒 as if the sin wasn't written in the bible to be a SIN, additionally it is called an abomination. But keep in mind the act of it is the sin but u existing is not. And we see the whole music video as mocking Christianity period whether lil nas is gay or not. imagine doing this in islam, if u saw how they would responded u would think what we Christians did was just a slap on the wrist. So in conclusion we HATE the sin but love the sinner and hate the mocking.
@amysandal6167 Islam, Christianity who cares? It's all made up 😂yall need to get some help living your life according to a fantasy book. In fact, I'm sure most of yall don't follow the book to a t. Bet you would have an issue if people sold their daughter into slavery. It's hypocrisy at ots finest
@@amysandal6167
Thank u
exactly! they would never see the love and beauty in it no matter what
@@amysandal6167I mean, depicting Jesus isn't against Christianity. And LNX is a gay man in an extremely Christian society, depicting Jesus in not even an offensive light - I think a gay man depicting Mohammed in an extremely Muslim society would be different than someone in a non-Muslim society doing the same.
The outrage is only homophobic lol...Kendrik and Kanye barely face outrage when they depict themselves like Christ...Kanye was easily accepted by christians when he "converted" and got called genius even in his blasphemous era...so it's just homophobia imo🤷🏾♀️
So was it homophobia when Madonna, Lady Gaga, Ariana, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Doja Cat, Demi and Jay Z got outrage and backlash for disrespect or mocking religion too?? And the only "Christians" who accepted Kanye's tricks were false gullible Christians, years ago when he started calling himself Yeezus and dressed himself as Jesus, Christians were triggered and made videos about him too. Its not about anybody sexuality. Why y'all not grasping is if anybody regardless mocks religion there will be an outrage regardless. Nobody gets pases.
@@TiaMLE-jc5zkthey got the nerve to be outraged while they have a problem with gay people loving each other in peace. I think they’re just nit picking considering how much they mock satanism and other religions tbh
@@tk-ol3mlSatanism is as much of a religion as Scientology is - it's for purely political reasons (Scientology is more for financial reasons though). Very, very few satanists actually believe in Satan. Christians do tend to mock other religions, though, you're right, just like other monotheistic faiths do. Goes with the territory :/
@TiaMLE-jc5zk I think sexism could be attributed to the majority of that list you gave, save for Jay-Z of course. Right wing Christians only had an issue with Kanye when his politics weren't overtly aligned with their own. Once he became a MAGA chud that perception of him changed within that circle
@@TiaMLE-jc5zk I find it very interesting that you list all those people because the majority of them are powerful women that associate with the queer community in some capacity. All of them, ESPECIALLY Beyonce and Jay Z, have been accused of being in association with the Illuminati by certain groups of people. Because they're rich and of some sort of minority, they have to be working with The Devil somehow and of course they're gonna get bashed for mocking religion. The conversation regarding Lil Nas isn't particularly addressing the people that are gonna be outraged indiscrimantly because they're super devout Christans that won't even let their kids watch Harry Potter, but instead the Christians that are showing obvious hypocriticism where they hold gay people at a Much higher standard than anyone else.
I highly appreciate the way you address these subjects despite being a Christian. I acknowledge that I have biases because of my terrible past with Christianity and the church. When you pointed out how "Christian" is a political term, it really hit me that I automatically perceive people negatively when they refer to themselves as Christian rather than Jesus-loving. I more often than not have qualms with the institution of religion rather than individuals who follow God (those who are still respectful and don't twist God's love as hate for certain groups). This is why I highly enjoy your videos as they give me an informed and different perspective that forces me to slow down before making judgments. Please keep giving us such well-educated and entertaining content!
I really appreciate this comment! Thank you 🤎
Can you guys check my music out?
Your biases are valid.
I'm gonna say 3 triggering words for you.....Christian White Male.
Who demonized these people, and why? Divide and conquer is an old tactic. Black men used to be called super predators, and white people really felt scared. Its manipulation from media.
Just love each other
Same here! All of this!!
As an Omnist, I believe that everyone has the right to express themselves and share their opinion about their own world. I understand why Lil nas x is doing that.. but I also understand why he shouldn't. But you cannot deny.. that there is a LOT of homophobia and racism in all of the outrage as well...
Agreee
👏🏿👏🏿
Ofc
Although I disagree about the racism part, I do agree that this him doing this is defiantly going to increase homophobia, especially if ppl think gay ppl enjoy mocking God.
@@maleahj308there’s definitely ppl being racist
I think showing Jesus as a gender-nonconforming black gay man is actually very politically relevant, considering how Christianity is being used to fuel extreme right wing politics against those groups. I’m obviously not saying Christianity is = right wing groups, but it is used as justification for a lot of bigotry.
Lots of people are quick to view this as a troll exclusively, but I think it’s more nuanced than that.
Religion in general is, judaism and islam too, but more lowkey when muslims are in western countries. Not that you can’t still be killed for the sake of honor n shit, indians have a tendency to do that too.
I feel like islam is like Judaism , but a couple hundred years behind on societal standards, i dont exactly hear about jewish folk bringing 12 year olds back to their home country to marry them off to the creepy uncle or cousin who’s at least 10 years their senior. For whatever reason we had this situation where politicials signed off on such cases because they werent allowed without the signature, which in my opinion makes them complicit in the rape of those hundreds of little girls. Theres plenty of muslims who are good people and who participate in our society but theres also a shitton of muslim immigrants who aren’t moving here because of war but out of convenience. Plus why is it so often strong young men? What about the women and children left behind. You can probably tell, but i have a strained view on muslim communities, at least in the context of europe, im fairly sure muslims in america are entirely different.
I general, if you’re not casual about your religion and force it upon others or even your children, i don’t like you.
Great point. Im not Christian anymore but I believe Jesus would represent and advocate the lower class if he were alive today. Visualizing him as a queer black person is a great metaphor for his message. If you see Jesus in Lil Nas X, you should see him in everyone.
Love this take, I completely agree
There's something there but that's when the conversation pivots imo to how do we as a community produce more refined messages and say things in even just a slightly more legible way? Not saying Nas needs to be overnight commercial friendly but maybe if that's what he wants to comment on don't immediately alienate that side of the audience
This is a really good point!
“this depiction has got some sweetness to it” 😭😭
Herby thank you so much for having a critical conversation about someone in our community while having a nuanced argument
Honesty, I really love Lil Nas X's antagonism towards evangelicals in America. I grew up in a Baptist home, my father was a pastor until I was 10. My whole family is right-wing, less strict and fanatical since I was younger but they still hold a BEVY of problematic beliefs.
No matter how I approach it, no matter how lovingly and respectfully I try to have a dialogue with them, the walls come up when anything infringes upon their religious beliefs. So that makes any sort of change in their opinions impossible, and has made them, in my opinion heavily emotionally and intellectually stunted. I know so many more older religious people who act the same, so I have an admitted bias and am definitely not speaking of all Christians, mostly American Christians. It makes me laugh every time grown adults get mad when someone who was abused by their ideology makes a swipe at it in a music video. Especially when that person 9 times out of 10 has also been traumatized by Christian evangelical family members.
2 wrongs... Don't equal a...?
@@Alexander-xk2nb I really don't think there's anything wrong with what he's doing. You can not like it, or think it could be more fleshed out and less overtly meant to stir things up and just focused on music, that's all valid. But none of it is wrong.
@@RecedingHairlineFracture True 😁
My issue comes up when we start talking about "antagonism" and who we are aiming to antagonize.
I believe we all have the right to believe in whatever you want to believe in, but that right comes with either respect or disassociation for those with other beliefs. Its fine to question, or critique religion, but my worry comes when we are simply mocking for the sake of chatter and chaos.
Also I don't think the LGBTQIA community gains anything from this approach of "I'm gay, and I'm down with the devil, hee-hee", when I think what's more effective is "God loves my gay ass just like he loves your hypocritical ass" approach.
Same.
I just found your channel, the way you cover serious topics efficiently but also with humor is so important. Perfect to watch while studying, and there’s smth about your channel as a queer person that’s oddly comforting. Ty for making content like this :]
I have read the videos differently.
1. I felt like Montero chose to go to Hell, like Jesus went to Hell for 3 day after His death.
2. I felt like this latest video picked up the story from that point. Maybe Lil Nas X should have released it closer to Easter for that clarity. Maybe I'm wrong.
Yes I'm seeing as almost like a resurrection
It really didn't feel that deep to me. The song literally spells it out, he's comparing his return to the return of Jesus Christ. I imagine the Jesus cosplay was just to get a lot of eyes on the video/song since the fundies will be real mad he's taking creative license with their religion again (Pot meet kettle since I'm sure Pat from Kentucky who's mad about this personally has the only correct interpretation of Christianity.), and the Nas fans and the gays will eat this up as another bold audacious own at one of the 3 big religions who must not be mocked or criticized. (It's me, I am the Nas fan and the gay.)
@@gregvs.theworld451 Lol 😆 I love your comment 😁
I really liked that you went back to mention the part about Lil Nas X being a queer black man depicting himself as Jesus being the reason people are outraged because those are my thoughts exactly. So many men as you mentioned, Kendrick, Jay Z, Kanye, etc have compared themselves to Jesus and nobody came out shaming them and accusing them of disrespecting Christianity. Much of the outrage to the J Christ video is definitely rooted in homophobia. Since I’m not a religious person myself, I can’t say that I ever get offended when people use religious symbols in their artistry but I can understand why it’s sacred for those that do. But I think the fact that Lil Nas X is dressing up as Jesus and he’s a black queer man is arguably very relevant. Queer people and religion has always been something that is mutually exclusive so I think him choosing to dress up as Jesus and put his own spin on what Jesus looks like to him is very positive and uplifting!
I can see why the video would still be viewed as gimmicky however because it wasn’t clear to me at first why he was choosing to represent himself Jesus in the first place, I don’t even think he mentions Jesus in the song? Given his history with the call me by your name video and all the outrage that caused, I don’t know if it was the smartest choice to come out with a video like this and it’s something he should have thought about more strategically and carefully for sure. I think he could have done without the Jesus representation tbh because I myself am over the religious symbols being used in artistry period. But idk maybe it means more to him, maybe it’s his way of trying to rationalize how queer people fit into the religious context, either way I don’t think the video deserves as much controversy and criticism as it’s receiving.
Again it’s definitely more to do with the call me by your name controversy and the fact that he’s a gay black man. I literally saw that streamer guy Kai Cenat call him out for the J Christ video and of course him and another streamer preceded to call him homophobic names and make really crude comments that had nothing to do with their religion or the video as a whole and why they think its problematic. It’s just really disappointing that queer people cannot have the same artistic rights and freedom as their cishet peers.
Right like, Kendrick Lamar in Collard Greens literally said "I'm more than a man I'm a GOD, bitch touche en garde." And, in Family Ties, he said "I'm not a trending topic, I'm a Prophet". And they are excused because "oh, they didn't ACTUALLY mean that, they were just rapping about this" or "it's creative, and respectful", but with their logic against Nas X, they should be ENRAGED that Lamar called himself a God and a Prophet. They should be rejecting him in mass and not supporting him. They should call for his ban off of Twitter, Spotify, everything. Because using their logic, what HE did was disrespectful. But they let it go because he's a straight Black man.
Lil Nas X is not being targeted because he "did something disrespectful" to Christianity. He's being targeted because he's a Black Gay man and that's that. If he were a straight Black man, he would have easily gotten away with it.
Wild that Kali Cenat had so much to say about a music video when he was so hush hush about his friend's $3x crimes. 🤢
Nas actually does mention Jesus in the lyrics, he says that he’s back like J. Christ-that is the lyrical relation to the music video. I think it’s valid for him to play around with Christian imagery seeing as Christians have routinely attempted to condemn him for his immutable characteristic: being gay. It’s not lost on me that so many of the people criticizing Nas themselves live very un-Christian lifestyles, but once a gay man does anything, they become the pope.
@@squirrelsinmykoolaidfr and not to mention he platformed a little kid that sings about killing and all sorts of vulgar things 😭 I never pay attention in my religious education classes but I’m pretty sure exploitation is a sin
Your point is not entirely accurate, Jay Z and Kendrick did and still continue to be shamed and accused of disrespecting Jesus and being prideful amongst Christians. Every celebrity has been shamed by Christians for disrespecting Christianity, whether black or white, queer or straight. Where have you been the late decade? Like, Christians have condemned the entire industry as unGodly, Lil Nas X is getting the same treatment as other celebrities who disrespect Christianity.
I love how he speaks. Somehow he's addressing millions but it still feels personal.
I do like his apology for misunderstanding the meaning of the Eucharist, it seemed really sincere and like he genuinely felt bad that he'd made people upset by essentially portraying Jesus engorging himself on his own flesh and blood, that he just didn't actually know what the wine and wafer represented.
I'm still Stuck on how folks came to that conclusion! 🤨
LISTENNNN! Cause I’m a progressive Christian myself, and I have a relationship with God, and see the many flaws of the church. But YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD! THIS depiction is sweet. Uh huh, and when this had been done before, NO one said anything about Hov. No on said anything about one of the other rappers (I’m forgetting their name🥴 lol) I’ve noticed the ONLY ppl that said anything the first time were people of extremeee conspiracies… but now? EVERYONE has said something. Btw, as a Jesus Freak myself lol, I LOVE how you said “Christianity” is political. Cause MM👀 Let’s wake that up FOR REAL.💗 Love you much!
nas did something similar
Y'all please stop acting like Lil Nas is the first and only to get backlash for mocking a religion💀 and he will not be the last! 😂. Other rappers did it way before him and they all caused an outrage and got Christians riled up. Kendrick, Nicki, Nas, Jay Z, Kanye, Doja Cat, Etc. Even pop singers like Gaga, Madonna, Ariana Beyonce, Sam Smith, Demi Lovato so much more musicians. This is nothing new, its been happening for decades😭. I'm starting to think y'all lying to yourselves. If you do research you'll see Lil Nas ain't the first time.
@@TiaMLE-jc5zkthe difference between all of them and lnx is that he is a black gay man so the outrage for him is different bc ppl are coming at him for his sexuality AND race instead of just the christian imagery and his race as seen with rappers like Kendrick Lamar
@@TiaMLE-jc5zkI don’t think you truly understood the sentiments of my comment, but go off, because I agree with you also👌🏾
@@TiaMLE-jc5zkI agree with all the names except when did Beyoncé do anything like this 😂😂
Sis, your words are so powerful. I could listen to you speaking for the rest of the day. Your diction is so precise and showcases you are highly educated.
WE STILL NEED A PINK FRIDAY 2 VIDEO
In my opinion, I don't think J Christ was ever meant to be really deep; just a fun song and video to represent that he's back making music again after a year and a half break. I don't think he was trying to say anything more than that. The controversy he's been getting from the song is entirely fueled by homophobia, as bigoted Christians don't seem to have the compacity to see queerness as something positive.
Also, as a agnostic black genderqueer lesbian who has suffered queerphobia from my Christian parents, the outrage from Christians has been amusing. Though, it's sad to see that it's been taking a toll on Lil Nas X. I wish people would understand that he's still a human being, despite what they may feel about the content he creates. I hope he's surrounded by those who can offer him support and care.
Same. I really agree and I wish people would see more of that. It’s something that’s fun ❤
Never meant to be deep? Not to mention the other artists who wore the thorn crown was criticized in the same light. Those other artists however never twerked on the devil so we can see why they’re not being grouped in the same basket as Nas. He profits off of controversy, that’s it and that’s all. He wasn’t the only gay black artist when he came on the scene but for some reason that’s how he’s acting which is weird to me. “Christians” literally don’t come after any other gay black artists like they do for him because he purposely mocks the religion because of his personal biases and dislikes.
@@turquoisestranger7566as if that justifies their actions we’re not gonna let the thousands of years of persecution pass bc a little man hurt their feelings lol
As a bissexual man, i disagree, homophobia is a part of the criticism he gets, but he's genuinely tacky, he's a shock jock, he's trying to get attention by any means necessary. If it was just plain homophobia, he would have gotten this amount of hate since his debut, but that's not the case. Also he can't now back it up, he did the whole "i'm a satanist, buy my blood shoes and lemme lapdance the devil" era then now wants to switch it up? The anger he gets is still residual from that era, that's why people ain't buying his apology, he has the right to depict christ as queer, but his work is reductive, tacky and attention whore-ish.
I fucking love yu ❤
Lil Nas X's music isn't my cup of tea, but I always appreciate your perspective on culture. It's so different from my own that I crave to learn more from your life experiences and just listen to you speak. Keep up the good work, homegirl
I LOVE how you articulated your thoughts lmfaooo. So eloquent, nuanced, focused, and culturally relevant.
I’m a bisexual rapper and I have found the blatant homophobia in rap to be so discouraging, like they don’t even try to hide it. i’ll always at least appreciate nas x for being who he is, great vid!
Tupac’s The 7 Day Theory album cover is him literally crucified on the cross, it’s like a tradition for media to use religion as a statement
im a cold-to-the-bone atheist (though christian born and raised) and this still irked me. it is simply tired. its played out and done before and he already had his blasphemy shock value moment during the satan shoe era... to come back nearly 2 years later and execute the EXACT. SAME. CONCEPT. on a song that doesn't stand out from the rest of his discography.. yeah its just not giving. artists are supposed to give something new every era and the ones that don't tend to fall off. However him being gay probably has summ to do with it, because lets be honest lots of artists and (STRAIGHT) black men throughout the years have done very similar imagery and didn't generate nearly a fraction of the backlash.
I just heard the song, and it's ok. It definitely feels like it's trying to capture the same vibe as Industry Baby, but it's effective as a lead single, and I'm sure the rest of the album will be a little more unique and reflective. This is just kind of meant to be the lead single to let everyone know that LNX is back.
"God created us in his image". We are evidence of what he looks like and who he is. "He". So he looks like everyone
Lil Nas X is far from stupid. He’s calculated and is a marketing genius at this point.
Y'all say this about everybody, istg I think y'all forgot what the word genius means😭😭
@@lemonjuiceproduction2411my thoughts exactly 😭💯😂
And it’s trickle down economics. He put out something, now everybody got content for their channels and that brings an audience. BOTH keep streaming the song. It’s a win win and ironically Jesus like
@@lemonjuiceproduction2411you don’t have to like but lil nas x understands the Internet & how to game the algorithm in his favor.
End of the day he gets his music to the most people.
The boy knows how to market himself.
Yall call anyone who can rage bait a marketing genius
this is the 1st video ive seen from you and immediately ive subscribed. I am not religious in any way but I truly appreciate your critical lens and discussion about these types of topics. You spoke eloquently while still being very entertaining and again even tho im not christian, I really respect and resonate with your perspective of being a black queer person, cause I am an asian queer woman and i think there's some solidarity and intersectionality in that. And I was so glad someone else also felt weird about ariana's new song being "another queer anthem", I would love to see your take on that cause I definitely felt that way about that song too. I think its also VERY interesting how both J.christ and Yes and...? came out a similar time, theres a LOT to compare like the themes/topic and their public reception etc. great video tho, i think your pts are VERY valid but I also have my own and i think this song/topic is just very nuanced and thats fair honestly, cause ik it will blow over like next week lmao
I’m not Christian anymore so I didn’t care and I couldn’t understand why feminine Jesus was hurting peoples feelings besides homophobia but I thought we already went through that either way Montero.
I feel the same way about all artists using Christ/equivalence imagery. It never did it for me at any point. I also feel like in general, those who do not know or are intimately familiar with ANY religion (not just Christianity) should not depict it or do any skits about it. Like the fact he didn't understand the religious and spiritual significance of communion is a good indicator to NOT do any skits about it. I hope he is well though and that as a young, queer artist he figures out his voice and image. I can only imagine how hard it is to figure that out in a public and homophobic sphere.
People can not be familiar will all elements of a religion and STILL face the bigotry and hatred from that religion. Thus allowing them to criticize to their hearts content. Absolutely no religion is free from criticism, especially not one that spreads hate.
@@Cheesecake.Slices This. As someone queer who's been raised around a queer-phobic Baptist Christan family, and eventually turned out Agnostic for reasons mostly unrelated....I'm gonna find comfort in traditionally "blasphemous" depictions of Christianity. Yes I understand the significance of communion and religion, I actually deeply respect any person of faith. But BECAUSE of my understanding of the significance of Christan imagery, I've been hurt by it twice as much. So yes I'm gonna criticize, and yes I'll find joy in Lil Nas X twerking on the Devil and being hung on a cross with acrylics and a 30 inch wavy buss down.
A bop is a bop no one can deny no matter the controversy. That can be said for CMBYN, whereas j christ feels "all that, for this?"
Hell is not a playground 🛝
This man is so impressive. I haven’t heard the song, just because it looked like it wouldn’t add anything to THE CONVERSATION. I am a Jesus Follower as well, and Montero is one of my favorite albums, as it helped me get to know myself better.
I probably still won’t watch the video, but I must acknowledge that it’s so human for an artist to apologize for any aspect of their art. So kudos to Lil Nas X for that, cuz it takes a lot to establish and believe yourself as an artist, but to take a step down from any ego, and get real like that is dope.
got me out here taking notes…
To the point about queer relationship and Christianity, I will say that as an artist whose queer and Christian myself, that I tend to go with the angle of raising queerness into divinity. I've made overt symbolism in my writing of staunch, heavily right wing people as demonic with love in all its forms as sacred and angelic. For example concept sketches of my main character Caldwell, a pacifistic queer vampire achieving some divine form despite all that was put on him and all that he may physically be. I feel like there needs to be more messaging for queer religious folk that you don't HAVE to be treated and seen as demonic for simply loving the way that you do, and that idea that if Jesus were here right now, he'd probably flip Tucker Carlson's entire studio over like the market stands at the temple. Agh! I'm rambling, I love your content its incredible.
Heavily right wing = demons
Heavily left wing = Angels
You people are fucking comical 😂
@@Soul-vr4iyor just not label anyone and leave it at that?
@@tk-ol3mlI'm not the one that wrote the 5000 word essay
@@Soul-vr4iy I love it when right wingers expose their illiteracy. Like you really just called something which is only 100 words long an essay lmao
@@Soul-vr4iyyet you are here with less words of nuance
You have point
I am a black, gay man that is not religious in the slightest. I can comfortably say, Lil Nas X is a troll that uses the same gimmicks to try to create controversy and engagement with his music. His obsession with disrespecting others beliefs and faith is ridiculous.
He needs to move past this era. We’ve seen it. I personally don’t like artists using cosplaying as Jesus.
Jesus was a brown/blk man. what’s the problem
@@Heyitschy03he wasn’t gay. That the problem. I don’t even know why this garbage is on my timeline
@@Heyitschy03 we all know Jesus was a man of color but what does your comment have to do with what the comment above said. You could have said something to support your argument.
Tbh I genuinely don't care. People cosplay as many dead people and people cosplay as him in movies. It's fine we just understand art as it i. Instead of being offended for people that are already in the grave
@@ml.vaughn2122 he’s cosplaying as a person 🤷🏽♀️
I agree that his visuals this time felt unnecessary & rooted solely in trying to stir up controversy instead of letting his artistic talent shine for itself.
He is SO talented. Why is he relying on shock value to carry his art?
How much did you practice the Iconic fan thing it's SO SMOOTH I love it
But yeah, my take is the song is it's catchy (and I LOVE IT) but it doesn't tell a story outside of the meta narrative. Like, the storyline of "I'm back like J Christ" could've been a scene in a MV, the idea doesn't need a full MV of multiple religious figures from the bible to tell that story (though the MV is BEAUTIFUL I love it so much). The rest of the song and iconography is the meta narrative of Lil Nas X being the guy that leans into religious motifs in his artwork, and people getting mad about it. Like, it's the chorus lol "This shits going viral". It just isn't that deep, it's a beautiful art piece but it isn't that deep
But also at the same time there is a legitimate and valid argument that as a gay black man he gets whipped with a stick while everyone else gets a flyswatter, they treat him a whole lot differently and harshly
I like the song, the video is just kinda, there at this point lol.
Exactly how I feel about it tbh, like it's not bad but personally it was nothing to special to me.
I am not and have never been xtian, but what I would like to see from people using religious references and imagery with their art is thoughtful engagement with the religious material they're drawing from. So, to me, Lil Nas X's apology if anything makes me feel worse instead of better. Like, I'm not really mad because it's not really my thing to be mad about, but I get why someone would be. Otoh I agree thar Call Me By Your Name was really really good, and I think what made it good was the religious imagery seemed better thought out.
To minimize this video to “y’all don’t like it cause he gay” is wild🥴
I am a fan of lil nas x as well, im not christian but to be honest its getting boring, and its not slaying, it did not give what he says its supposed to give. I still understand where he is coming from but I think he can do more
Thank you for addressing this the way you did in a balanced informed way
When Call me by your name or Montero came out, I loved the song. I had it on repeat for months. I totally forgot about J Christ's release and melody until watching your video.
Waiting for "artists" mock Islam and it's founder. They won't because they are scared to.
This argument is very tired in my opinion. The US still has Christianity as the most practiced religion. If I remember correctly, LNX has talked about his experience with Christianity. Of course, your mostly going to talk about things that you have the most experience with. Only 1.1% of US citizens practice Islam.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm non-religious but I never felt the song was trying to be deep just like he said so the dislike of it just doesn't make much sense to me. Like, I can understand and respect the reasons, but to me personally those reasons don't make sense when so many other people have done similar. I think comparing it to CMBYN isn't fair and isn't a valid argument. Holding him to the standard of one singular song just locks him into place and doesn't give him the room to grow, experiment, or simply make the music he wants to make.
I don't think all art NEEDS to be super deep and 'meaningful' to be allowed to exist without being criticized for not being 'deep enough'.
Truth 😮
I’m not done with the video. But I always enjoy your deep dives of these topics. You should guest host on The Breakfast Club. They not ready but you would kill it!!
It's Queer Humble, and I love it for that.
TRUTH 🤣👏
Whooo, everything you said about "Christian" being political! I feel the exactly the same and avoid saying "I'm Christian" because of all the socio-historical meaning attached to that term. And also thanks for saying "God doesn't need defending" ! So true, how fragile must "your" God be when they need all this defending. God does not and should not need defending! Thank you again
I love the way you comment on things and I will be back. My question is, why does anyone have to refrain from depicting a god that they don't believe in a certain way without a really good reason? Even if a member of that religion disrespects or desecrates or takes god's image in vain, we can assume they are responsible for their own spiritual judgement. Why would an all powerful god be harmed by artistic depiction of what some people think he looks like? You can burn an american flag and nothing happens to the state. You can put Jesus or Buddha or Vishnu in a flame bikini and have them twerk and say the alphabet backwards. Respectable gods and institutions should have to earn that respect, and if it's been earned and proven, then it can't be harmed by a reference or parody. Christian feelings are not more holy than anyone else's. It's the same thing as if you believe abortion is a sin then don't get one. But you can't argue for a free society that has to abide by your religious beliefs. I don't expect people to show respect to my favorite bands just because I idolize them. It might put me off if they do it egregiously, but it doesn't demonstrate a lack of merit or morality.
We need to petition to get you a TV show cause chileeeeee the tea be piping hot, no lies detected ☕️ ❤
I ain't even check for the shit. I saw the rollout and knew it was troll.
i can understand his pov for sure and i genuinely do believe what he said is true BUT if you don’t really know MUCH about jesus and dress up as him n that is when it gets a little sketchy
I am catholic and have no issue with the video. He's portrayed as Jesus. Okay, we all have Jesus with us. Jesus is there in all of our suffering and in all of our wrongdoing. He struggled with the same exact things you struggle with while he was crucified. That is something we believe as Catholics. We are supposed to relate to Jesus in some way as he was fully God but he was also fully Human.
As someone who is gay and who is a practicing catholic, i understand this video on a deeper level. I need the full album to be sure, but if he's not lying about it being a gospel album (even in themes only)..i'm excited for queer gospel. i think we need it. We need to stop letting the bad faith christians bully us out of being in love with our God.
It’s blasphemy for profit and shock value. It’s offensive and unnecessary and just incredibly disrespectful. I’m just upset that Christianity doesn’t get nearly as protected and respected and other religions and people are perfectly comfortable degrading and shitting on it.
Thanks for posting, Herby!
musical artists are allowed ONE (1) anti-christian concept/era before it gets boring and repetitive. thats the real reason why it doesn't work.
I dont get why TWO is too much like
Yeah, Lil Nas X's art feels troll-y to me, but maybe that's important now for him as an artist to explore himself in that regard, IDK. It's certainly one way to polarize yourself from others.
Personally, as just one atheist with an opinion, the "J Christ" stuff doesn't engage with me, so I can imagine he's trying to appeal to a certain type of (younger?) Christians... otherwise beyond Lil Nas X, I can't figure out who the audience is. The only atheistic-ish sort of song that I've been low-key obsessed with and felt part of the audience was probably "Only Seeing God When I Come" by Sega Bodega.
BTW I really like Yves Tumor, if you're interested in hearing music from other LGBT+ black artists who push boundaries stylistically and sonically while touching on some religious (albeit not necessarily Christian) themes. I thought their last album was amazing.
I LOVEEEE YVES. Saw them live last year it was amazing.
I’m here for it and fully support him in this ere
I’m a new subbie. Love your content! 💓 Imo it’s a perspective based situation in your religious believes and spiritual journey. But for me blatant blasphemy is just blasphemy. I don’t put it past any artist that’s mocked God. Something about it doesn’t sit well with me. 😭 I take it upon myself to remove artists from my lifestyle who do that. It doesn’t sit well with me.
I personally feel, he's just a young gay. It's his first time bein pridefully himself in the public eye.
it is disappointing that the controversy around the video still comes down to the fear or the trigger of seeing "effeminated" Jesus.
I like the song. However, i found the song even mentioning jesus as weird simply because it literally didnt need to be
I feel like the imagery of the video was fine, but the lyrical didn't line up or challenge. They were more about a flaunt and clout than an attempt to give any sort of meaning or message past "I'm back! You can't get rid of me that easily!". I don't think he ever left or needed this video. He's got a huge following that won't go away any time soon.
Gonna go out on a limb and say, we shouldn't be holding religious figures on such sacred pedestals. I've seen how they handle this in Islam, and I am not impressed the lengths to which aversion of iconography can go. When a group of Muslims felt slighted that Muhammed was being depicted in a negative light, they didn't stop at just being vocal about it, they've literally murdered a person (Charlie Hebdo). I don't want to give Christians that sort of space to get comfortable in especially here in the US where they've been taking this sacredness to a new level lately. I never even understood as a Christian, why **I** should feel offended, because someone was making jest at my God or the figures surrounding Him. They're beyond reproach, I didn't have to worry about it.
I'm proud he feels comfortable enough to depict himself within this religion, and it's made feel like we're taking this back. We're spreading this love, we're redefining what it is to be salvation. Even if the lyrics were a lil tired.
Yeah, considering the long torrid history of Christian shittiness towards... a looooooooooot of non Christians for many millennia and ongoing still, I'll admit I'm not feeling too much sympathy for the people mad as Nas cosplaying Jesus. Like, yeah, is it a little mean, and do they have a right to be offended? Is Nas being a bit of an ass in his depiction of Jesus? Sure, I grant that. On the other hand, however, nothing is above criticism and, as I said, Christians have shown a lot of other groups what criticism looks like by taking it way too far (To put it incredibly lightly.). Just because you hold your guy as sacred doesn't mean we have to and you don't get the right to impose your sacred figures or traditions or beliefs onto us the entire populous full stop. Most of these Christians believe their big sky man will sort everything out in the end anyway so I don't even know why they'd bother getting mad about this. If they truly believe Nas is a sacregilious meanie head and will get his in the burning lake one day, just ignore his music video and let it happen when it happens then, focus on what makes you happy and not what makes you mad, and I cannot imagine how small your problems have to be if a black man dressed as Jesus is what's filling your head space with worry and anger right now.
i think the offence is from one of the commandments “dont make a graven/false image of God”. christians aren’t supposed to depict Christ basically (seen in criticism of kendrick, jay z, kanye etc.), so i think the offence is justified. so this depiction in jest, is obviously gonna cause outrage. however, the homophobia isn’t justified AT ALL.
@@sldnrsdnt The thing is that commandment is interpreted differently across Abrahamic religions. Most Christain denominations view that commandment as not worshiping any man-made items. Which is why many churches can put on Easter plays where someone is the role of Jesus and why so many Christans have artwork of Jesus on the cross. HOWEVER, others take that as you not being able to depict Christ AT ALL (particularly Islam). That being said, the majority of the people in Lil Nas's comment sections hating aren't necessarily Muslims, are they? 👀
@@hansolbling8141I also believe the satirical nature of lil nas x’s depictions of Jesus are stirring outrage. It’s very different to make a nativity play with little kids and then to depict Jesus’ crucifixion with celebs dancing in the background😭😭. This combined with his history of campaigns like cmbyn and the demon blood shoes with Nike, I believe the Christians don’t trust lnx’s candidness when it comes to religion. I think more Muslims would be outraged if they believed Jesus (Isa in Quran) was God, and more Jews would be outraged if they believed the same, but Christians do however that’s a whole other abrahamic religion dispute and this comment is long enough😭
To me, he sounds disingenous, as someone who's LGBT and christian, i feel what he does is throw rocks then hide his hands. "I didn't mean to mock" he mocks it all the time, he lapdanced the devil and got attention, now to get more attention he switches up and cosplays as christ, puts a lot of religious imagery then complaints when the people he wanted to offend are offended.
Why be offended it’s all make believe
@Herby Revolus can u make a video on trans men in the gay community?
That would be interesting.
I absolutely loved your delivery but I disagree with your sentiment of this video being gimmicky through its play on biblical imagery. I don’t think Nas was at all trying to troll, I do think that he expected people to take it as that cos he often does and he himself expressed something similar in his instagram post, and even relied on that engagement he’d get from that narrative. However, I think he was just trying to serve cvnt while saying he’s back. I think CMBYN was absolutely more of a mockery towards the homophobia in the Christian community but to me, this was him saying well y’all know I’m gay now I’m gonna show you how gay, but make it holy. Homophobes simply don’t like the idea of Jesus being in any way associated with an openly and unapologetic feminine gay black man but that’s their problem, all it does is further prove their selective outrage and well homophobia
Truth 👏😂
Unless the preist blessed them he literally just ate crackers and juice
Love ur analysis of this one, and the added voice note! Can't wait for yes and? , I want to those thoughts and opinions!! Fine u got me on that Patreon
Hey as a Queer and trans convert reform Jew, I can say that what he put out video wise was definitely to piss off the super conservative Christians. This is going to bring out the worst like it always does. Divinity and even how Jesus is portrayed is not accurate to his likeness.
From what I’ve seen from the church people are going to be mad at him for being in his “likeness” and how western media sees it
I do believe that he does know what he’s doing like genuinely. Especially with the current cough ethic cleansing going on.
But that’s just me
i value your input so much herby. on the jesus -rapper discourse for the ppl in the comments i want to recommend jouelzy essay on the topic. i think it completes this one very well
⚠Rant alert⚠I don't know enough about Lil' Nas X to say anything about him, besides he's only 24yrs old so... Generally artists and haters alike need to calm down. We don't need to be rushing to "transcend" or maintain norms nobody even seems to have a real grasp of. Being grotesque for "expression"/shock/antagonism or damning people to eternal torture, neither side is looking healthy. Do your art, do your religion/whatever and sit down because the stupidity is tiresome.
I love your channel thank you
First of all…..this turtleneck 😍
Herby is for the people!!!🫶🏾💛
As a queer gender non-conforming person raised in a American conservative evangelical Christian household, Lil Nas X's militant antagonism toward that brand of Christianity absolutely delights me. Sharing his music videos with my siblings is honestly a way of processing our shared religious trauma with art and humor. It definitely works for me.
Shout out as a fellow queer Christian!! Thanks for yet another great vid, loved the breakdown as usual 💜
Thank you for pointing out the hypocrisy. I think that all of those depictions were corny and lame. As a non religious, raised Christian BW, cis-het BM are so lame for trying to equate themselves to a deity for shock value. So it's only right that I believe Lil Nas X is lame too. Also...the song's not even that good!😒
Many have mocked Christ and may be spending eternity in HELL!
Good for me, I'd rather spend eternity with lord Satan who accepts me for who I am and embraces my sin, than spend eternity with yhwh on his own cruel and wicked terms, no matter how white and gold the gates may be.
Perhaps when yhwh's brainwashed sheep get raptured, us demons can crawl back out of the fire and reclaim what we deserve. Satan is more than smart enough to decide which of us are truly evil, and which were judged unfairly.
He’s an artist.
Truth 😮
dressing up as jesus is a lil careless but i think he has a shtick and he was rolling with it 🤷🏿♂️
at the same time i understand if people in the christian community have issues with it. i’d feel some type of way if my beliefs/iconography were used selfishly
but how many people can critique the religious symbolism without it vaguely masking their homophobia/antiblackness? i think this is gonna provoke a lot of people and just expose more of the bullshit
Yes 👍
I’m a straight white atheist male - married with 2. Kids and j Christ works for me and I think it’s banger!
Hi would you speak on Nicki’s Pink Friday 2 or will you wait til next month
I can’t help but feel as if JChrist was Lil Nas X trying to tell us he’s moving onto something new. I think that his portrayal as Noah isn’t being talked about enough as the story of Noah could be interpreted as someone taking a major leap of faith (pun intended) and rising above/thriving in the face of hardship and pain.
It’s like how we feel about Sam Smith trying to be demonic …. They’re trying too hard that it makes us not even want to fully dissect the music
4:48 I think thats the misunderstanding around Christianity. Jesus was apolitical as we would see it today. People who are more loyal to their party than their faith politicize Jesus, rather than letting things simply be about morality. But Christianity IS *definitely* exclusionary. Please allow me to explain. Folks are to come as you are, but not stay as you are. 😆You're are expected to allow God to change the way you think and aproach life. The whole purpose of becoming a Believer is to be "born again," take off your old self and become new, and the biggie, BECOME SANCTIFIED🤯. Sanctified doesn't mean "better than others," it means to be SET APART for Gods purpose. Like the fine china in granny's cabinet. That means we have to be set apart from someone. And those folks are everyone who dont believe. Im not talking about sitting at separate lunch tables😒. Im talking about being dedicated to how we live, how we treat others, and behavior coming from our love of God and respecting the morality He set in place. While others follow thier own standard. 🫣It simply comes down to this. Jesus said things. Either you believe Him or you dont. Period. Jesus said he came like a sword to separate those who love God and those who are more loyal to man. If you follow Christ and you've never felt a pull to change ANYTHING about yourself, then you dont want Jesus, you want to feel comfortable in your sin. We shouldn't be led to bring what the world does into the church because they are who were supposed to be different from. Because to be a Believer, change is required. 🤷🏾♀️
His over explanation of his art as a queer artist who people are gonna find a reason to hate on regardless seems completely unnecessary
The explanation for was for his sane fans
I had to go watch J Christ to prepare for this video, cause somehow I missed it 😅
Yeah I had to watch the context first and come back too.
I could be wrong but i have seen this kind of thing before. Because i have seen it before i am expecting a third music video to conclude a trilogy. The heaven to hell to earth again is a long standing theme. The way it usually plays out is with the first and third song being great with the middle being okay, or the middle being great and the first and third meh.
crazy thing is I had this same thought I firstly thought about jay z and Yeezus aka Kanye , like im glad you spoke on this I might too , get the ppl going lol
The video was cute I dont think he needed to make a whole apology damn
I'm a white trans man Christian!! :D I'm even more comfy here than before!!
It may grow on me, but this disappointed me unlike CMBYN. The social media posts leading up to this really made me thought it was going to be a message about either a return to faith or grappling with faith. As someone who's done that (I was raised Christian, experimented with non Abrahamic spiritualities, but ended up converting to Islam) but has issues reconciling that with my bi and trans identities (not because of the religious text, but because of people) I was hoping for something that speaks more to that like CMBYN did. Maybe this was just my expectations vs. reality, but the song did feel troll-y. I really don't care about that, nor do I care about it "making fun of" Jesus or God, I guess I'm more disappointed in what the marketing made me *think* it was going to be, and the end result just feels kind of mid. Still love Lil Nas X though, and I know all this controversy is going to keep him relevant. He's excellent at his marketing strategy!
You missed the whole point though. He is just doing this to cause controversy. That’s literally it. There is no other meaning. He is a major troll and he does it well. It’s really funny if you don’t take it seriously.
Mmm seeing as Lil Nas X himself said that just because he’s a troll it doesn’t mean that his art doesn’t have deeper meanings… perhaps it’s you that missed the point? The marketing was most certainly stir controversy, but some of the imagery in the video is too similar to CMBYN (which is PACKED with meaning and symbolism) to be something purely unserious
I watched the video several times and at first I thought the message was a bit muddled because though I felt he was using a Jesus allegory the scenes from Jesus' story were out of order. He starts in heaven. Then descends to the dead. Then crucified. Then he is on Earth. Then ascends. Then there is a Noah metaphor. While I think Montero spoke to a too common experience of growing up queer in a religious community and the need to resist the shame and condemnation it can bring, J Christ is Lil Nas X' personal contemplation of celebrity, growth, and new beginnings. In the beginning we see heaven as a place for stars, where celebrities go and live out their existence in opulence. Then the descent into hell symbolizes his fall from grace. And what was his indiscretion? Literally playing with the devil, for which he was crucified. Then we see him not simply tending sheep but shearing them in preparation for his comeback. He then ascends back up to heaven, transformed as Jesus was from the resurrection. Then the Noah imagery I feel is symbolic of more trials to come but a confidence that he can weather any store into a new day.
That really just Ate!!!! 😁👌
i was a bit tired too. the video and the song are cute, but what else was there
So no Nicki album review? Damn barbs really got you scared…
I just think the main problem is the music isn't good. lol
I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on the Nicki Minaj "Blessings" collaboration with Tasha Cobbs. I love that song so much and I haven't really heard much about it. That being said I don't use Twitter or TikTok or any large social media platforms anymore (highly recommend for anyone interested in sanity) so in completely unplugged from these conversations, so maybe it was a moment and I just didn't know. To be fair I didn't know about this Lil Nas X song until I saw this. Anyway.
I just spend like hours writing about my spiritual experiences and trauma, relationship with the church, to process. That writing ended in a very long poem that felt more spiritually fulfilling than anything my 100% white suburban catholic Church gave me. And it was largely, as you point out in this video, because it was challenging the "sentencing" of queer people to eternal suffering both in life and death. Tldr, that felt very good to write and I generally feel like I'm more actively engaged in my spirituality than most people I've met, who see weekly church attendance to be the finish line of worship; that just sitting in the pew is like sitting down on a bus seat headed straight to heaven with no detours. My spirituality never makes me feel anger, in fact I can tap into it and forgive even the most unforgiveable of things. So to wake up and see this debate again is a reminder of how see-through most American Christianity is, and that saddens me.
What stands out most here is that I think he looks pretty and I really like the cadance of his rapping. He's just articulating words in a satisfying way (it kinda sounds like Jack Harlow is on a background vocal track for some reason, and I don't even listen to Jack Harlow but that's what I hear) and the bars are good, or at least his bars are always unique and refreshing. I like the Hard piano beat, I think the video is cartoonist and surreal, I think the acting is silly and generally hard to take seriously. I just can't imagine watching this and becoming genuinely upset about your faith being challenged, or even having such a thought. In fact, it feels so intentionally superficial that it feels like it's avoiding being taken seriously. It's just him being extra to use the "back from the dead" punchline and get clicks. So silly.
And thank you for saying God doesn't need you to defend him. Say that shit louder for the people on the back. It feels almost blasphemous to act like God is this delicate little dandelion that needs defense. Tf does "all powerful all knowing every present" mean then? Whatever. Not gonna participate further in the rage baiting. It's sad because the rage bait is both to get the Christans to be angry, then also baits the rest of people to argue with the Christians, and idk if either side is more naive than the other.
I understand how you feel 😄
And i think, there’s a conversation to be had about the vicious comparison the gays have been doing between him and Ariana. It’s sick and someone needs to discuss it. It could be you
Lil nas did it SO WELLLL though. Gorgeous.
I like j Christ
He going to heaven. And that’s on period.
Truth 👏😮