Lil Nas X responded to backlash that erupted over the release of his latest single, "J Christ."
The rapper sparked outrage when the cover art depicting him resembling Jesus on a cross, and the accompanying music video featuring biblical imagery were released.
Shortly after, Lil Nas X took to X, initially defending himself and saying, "Yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born."
However, in a new video posted to the social media platform, the rapper explained his thought process.
"I wanted to not necessarily apologize, but I wanted to explain where my head at and where it's been for like the last week," he said.
"So first of all, when I did the artwork, I knew there would be some upset people or whatnot simply cause religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people. But I also didn't mean to mock."
Lil Nas X went on to state that the single, cover art and music video was not an aim at Christians.
"It was literally me saying, 'Oh, I'm back. I'm back like Jesus.' That was the whole thing," he said.
"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. And I know, given my history with the 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ video, anything that I do related to religion can be seen as mockery. That just was not the case with this."
Lil Nas X proceeded to apologize for another video he released recently in which he is seen drinking and eating communion wine and wafers while dressed in robes, saying that while he thought it would lighten the mood, he didn't understand the "reality" of it.
"It's me eating the communion, which is the symbolism of Jesus' blood and bones or something like that, I don't remember completely. I didn't mean it as a cannibalism thing or whatever the freak, but I do apologize for that. I will say I am sorry for that," he said, noting that while he didn't "agree with all of Christianity's rules or whatnot," he wanted to be clear about his "own decisions."
"I know I messed up really bad this time, and I can act unbothered all I want, but it's definitely taken a mental toll on me," he said, adding, "I do want my Christian fans to know that I am not against you. I was put on this earth to bring people closer together and promote love, and that's who I am."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.