A little more than a month after announcing he was entering his “Christian era,” rapper Lil Nas X has released promos for his upcoming work. On January 12, he is set to stream his new song “J Christ.” “My new single is dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time,” he announced. Artwork for the new single features Lil Nas X on the cross as he is being lifted up by a number of people. A blitz of imagery has flooded social media. Lil Nas X also featured an image of him on the cross transforming into a Transformers-style robot. Another promo features a long line of celebrity lookalikes walking down a heavenly looking street towards the sky. It features people made to look like former president Barrack Obama, Mariah Carey, Ye (Kanye West), and others. On TikTok, the rapper featured a video of himself downing Communion wafers and the Eucharist. The video also features a headline with foul language about how fast Lil Nas X ate up the Communion.
The rapper went even further, sharing a letter allegedly from the Christian Liberty University. The letter is addressed to Montero Hill, Lil Nas X’s real name, and congratulates him for being accepted into the Fall 2024 semester with a Dual Concentration in Christian Leadership and Biblical Studies. “I know twitter hates me right now but I want Y’all to know I’m literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall. Not everything is a troll! Anyways I’M A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO,” he announced. Christian Headlines, however, noted questions on the veracity of the letter, showing it was signed by the university’s former president, Jerry Fallwell, Jr. Liberty University confirmed with Church Leaders that the letter is a “complete hoax.” “It is likely some kind of publicity stunt to get media attention around his upcoming album. No one at the university has had any communication with him whatsoever,” said a spokesperson for the school. Former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell, Jr, who resigned in 2020 after a series of controversies, positively responded to Lil Nas X’s post. “This is the real Jerry Falwell, Pres of Liberty University 2007-2020, and that is my signature. I know this is a joke but I wouldn’t have hesitated to sign that letter for you to enroll. Don’t believe all the lies that have been told the last 3 yrs! No judgment at LU, only grace!” he wrote.
Criticism on social media was swift. Christian rapper Bryson Gray, who has openly criticized Lil Nas X, called the song promo “demonic.” Referring to the video of Lil Nas X taking Communion, Gray stated he was “vindicated.” It may be a reference to pushback that Christian rapper Lecrae made, accusing Christians of being too quick to judge Lil Nas X after he announced his “Christian era.” One commentor who shared the Communion video commented, “Rapper Lil Nas X MOCKS Jesus and Christians by mocking the holy practice of communion. In the Christian faith, bread is used as a symbol of Jesus’ body and wine (grape juice) a symbol of his blood. The rapper has been mocking Jesus to promote his upcoming single.”
Lil Nas X hit back at his detractors on X. “The crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of [J]esus. Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of —- Y[‘]all just gotta stop trying to gate keep a religion that was here before any of us were even born,” he wrote.