Lil Nas X is really going all-in on his Santa Nas X persona. Last night, he brought his naughty Christmas character to The Tonight Show, where he and host Jimmy Fallon dueted for “Santa Vs. Santa Nas X.” While Fallon’s more traditional Saint Nick rhymes about candy and toys, Nas’ version is a bit more risque, putting more emphasis on the “ho ho hoes” and his designer outfit. A nice touch is how Fallon raps in a squeaky-clean old-school flow — meaning 1980s not early 2000s — while Nas peppers his verses with more contemporary flourishes and plenty of bleeped-out curse words.
“Santa Vs. Santa Nas X” builds on the momentum of Nas’ new single “Holiday” and its video, in which he plays a twisted, tinsel version of Kris Kringle in a factory churning out Lil Nas X-themed toys. He’s appeared as the alter ego for a couple of appearances, including the promo for Amazon’s Holiday Plays concert series where he gives Miley Cyrus advice, and on Ellen, where he answered questions about his celebrity crushes in the glittery getup.
Nas appears to be having a lot of fun playing this new character after seemingly exhausting himself of his cowboy-themed “Old Town Road” promo, but with the New Year right around the corner, this one’s got a built-in expiration date so he can avoid that problem this time around. Until then, enjoy Lil Nas X as Santa and keep looking forward to whatever outlandish thing he does next.
Watch the “Santa Vs. Santa Nas X” video above.