Lil Nas X issued an explanation to fans after facing backlash from Christians for being nailed to a cross while dressed like Jesus in his “J Christ” video.
The famous artist explained the symbolism behind being crucified in the video was meant to reference the resurrection of his career, and wasn’t intended to be insulting to those of the Christian faith. “I wanted to — not necessarily — apologize, but I wanted to explain, like, where my head at, and where it’s been the, like, the last week,” he said. He then proceeded to admit he knew his depiction of Jesus could be interpreted as being offensive.
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“First of all, when I did the artwork, I knew, like, there would be some upset people and whatnot. Simply ‘cause — you know, religion is, like, a very sensitive topic for a lot of people,” Lil Nas X said.
“But I also didn’t mean to, like, mock — this wasn’t, like, a fuck you to you people, um, fuck you to the Christians, like, it wasn’t — it was not that — it was literally me saying oh I’m back — I’m back like Jesus!” he said.
The famous singer went on to defend his actions.
“I’m not the first person to dress up as Jesus, I’m not the first rapper, I’m not the first artist, and I won’t be the last,” he said, before reiterating that he wasn’t about to say sorry for expressing himself in the way that he did.
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“This is more so to clear my own head about my own decisions, I know — I know, like I messed up, like — really bad this time. And I can act unbothered all I want but it has definitely taken a mental toll on me,” he said.
Lil Nas X attempted to rectify the issue with offended fans.
“I do want my Christian fans to know I am not against you. I was put on this earth to, you know, bring people closer together and promote love, and like, that’s — that’s who I am.”
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“I’m not some like evil demon guy trying to destroy everybody’s values and stuff like that — that’s not me.” He insisted the video had “no disrespect.”
“I thought me clearly not being on the side of the devil in that video was, like, the — that there was an understanding there that I’m not like trying to diss — uh, Christianity,” he said. (RELATED: Lil Nas X Unveils ‘Satan Shoes’ That Contain Human Blood And Are Limited To 666 Pairs)
The official music video showed Lil Nas X depicted as Jesus Christ.