Lil Nas X’s new music video, MONTERO, released March 26 has created a lot of controversy so far with people with religious values. During the video, he incorporates depictions of heaven and hell, which can be offensive towards certain groups, depending on how it is represented. A main controversial point was Lil Nas X sliding down a pole from heaven to hell, strip dancing towards where Satan or the Devil was sitting. Incorporating the Devil into his music video did tend to upset a large group of Christians and religious groups since Satan is a symbol of hate and the opposite of good. In the video, he obviously portrays himself as a gay man, and since gay is usually not supported by many religious groups, he used that logic in the MONTERO music video. 

I showed this video to my father because he was curious about what it was talking about since he saw it on the news. My father is a moderate Christian, but the video was very out of the ordinary. The part that upsets most people is when Lil Nas X gives a lap dance to The Devil. The interpretation people have been getting from the video is that he is a satanist or is trying to get his audience to do the same. Since he blew up on TikTok, his fan base is full of younger viewers, who may be influenced by his behavior. 

Not only did he introduce Satan into his video, but he also made a limited edition brand shoe with the devil sign on it, also adding a drop of blood into each pair of shoe soles. It does not give off a very good message to his audience. Nike decided to sue Lil Nas X for his pair of shoes claiming “ trademark infringement, asking a federal court in New York to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent them from using its famous Swoosh.” Nike settled on an agreement to recall the shoes and to offer full refunds to any person who bought these shoes to keep them from circulating. 

The whole story behind the song seems to be about trying to use the logic of gay being a “sin” against its self, but the way the music video is portrayed is not family-friendly. Obviously, his music is not made for a younger audience. His hit song “ Old Town Road” was very popular on TikTok in 2019. He does make history for being one of the only openly gay rap artists, which seems to be excepted and praised by his viewers, but the way he showed it in the music video did not please most people. Overall, I think the music video wasn’t meant to be taken in a negative way although at the end of the video he kills Satan and takes his horns and wears it on his head, becoming “Satan,” which definitely put some people over the edge. This music video is not for people who are sensitive to religious topics or beliefs because the MONTERO music video can be triggering or upsetting for certain groups of people.