In a new cover interview with Variety, Lil Nas X admitted that he began feeling unsafe after the single and video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” was released last March. The music video, for context, features the openly gay rapper giving Satan a lap dance, which had a lot of conservative pundits in an uproar.
Circling the subject of homophobia in the rap community, Nas told Variety, “The honest truth is, I don’t want to speak on a lot of the homophobia within rap because I feel like this is a very dangerous playing field. It’s more for my own safety rather than anything else.” When pressed for detail, Nas admitted that he decided to hire security after someone chased his car. “There was literally someone who chased my car a few days after that video came out, yelling, ‘F*ck you!’ or something. And that’s when I actually started getting security […] I feel like it couldn’t be a coincidence.”
That said, Nas certainly has a fan in Sir Elton John, who told Variety that the rapper is “a hero of mine,” adding, “Lil Nas X is a bold and brave provocateur who’s making amazing and inspiring music. He’s pushing the boundaries of urban music by wholeheartedly embracing his sexuality and visually projecting that celebration out into the world.”
John continued: “Historically, there has been a lot of homophobia in the hip-hop world. DaBaby’s recent recent damaging comments about the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV/AIDS clearly demonstrate that there is still so much education and work to be done.”
Read Lil Nas X’s full interview with Variety here.