Lil Nas X Says Explicit Song Lyrics Are ‘Not For Shock’: ‘This Is Me Telling My Story’

Lil Nas X is responding to accusations of using shock value to boost his music.

Last week, the “Industry Baby” artist dropped a teaser for a song from his upcoming mixtape Nasarati 2, where he raps about his personal life and queerness before he reached mainstream fame. “Cap and gown, I graduated and got out of town / Went to college where I had no one around / Grindr sessions sexing with faceless accounts / Bringing bodies in me then sneaking ’em out,” he raps.

But the next bar, where X discusses his closeted youth, is what had some listeners shook. Lil Nas raps, “Back in middle school I was fiendin’ for dick / Seventh grade sending my homies some pics / Daddy never knew what I did as a kid / He would’ve crucified me but trust me I get it.”

Despite some praising Lil Nas X for showing a vulnerable side of himself, others claimed that the lines were intentionally controversial for attention.