Lil Nas X turned 24 over the weekend (on Sunday, April 9), and to celebrate, he set up a racy, Playboy-inspired photoshoot that saw him embracing his inner femme and reproducing the magazine’s January 1986 Cover Girls cover. The rest of the photos Nas posted to Instagram see him perusing the pages of his custom issue with a mischievous grin.
Nas, decked out in bunny ears — which served a double purpose, considering Sunday was also Easter — stockings, and heels, lounges on a silk sheet surrounded by old Playboy magazines. A header reads Batty Boy, which is a pejorative term for gay men in Jamaican Patois; leave it to Nas to reclaim a slur in a way guaranteed to set off those most likely to use it.
The “Industry Baby” rapper has been having a lot off fun challenging critics of his queer identity lately. In March, he clapped back at a troll who accused him of only pretending to be gay for engagement, while earlier this month, he joked that he would indeed be reverting to heterosexuality after finding out Saweetie called him her celebrity crush.
Still, it’s clear from his birthday photos he isn’t really switching up for anyone and remains committed to living out loud, regardless of what the haters have to say.