Lil Nas X has responded to critics who have taken issue with the cover art for his current song.
On Monday, the 24-year-old rapper released an image on social media to promote his current track, J Christ.
The image shows him lying extended on a cross, with the caption: “My new single is dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time!”
In the photograph, the singer is seen lying naked, barely covered by lime green cloth, on a crucifix being carried by five other persons in the midst of a valley.
While many people admired the artwork, others criticised it, calling it’shameful’ and ‘blasphemous’.
However, shortly after, Lil Nas X posted a message on X, confronting people who said the image was improper.
‘The crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of Jesus,’ he began.
‘Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world.
‘I’m not making fun of s***. Y’all just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. Stfu.’
The single will be released on January 12 at midnight.
Back in November he also teased an acoustic song on X, writing: ‘Y’all mind if I enter my Christian era?’
An accompanied clip saw him dancing on a deserted street and wearing a shirt that read ‘If God doesn’t exist then who’s laughing at u’.
The rapper, who is well-known for mentioning religion in his music, has received harsh criticism on several occasions.
One of the most prominent incidents was in 2021, when, to commemorate the release of his album Montero, he issued 666 pairs of limited edition ‘Satan Shoes’ containing a drop of genuine human blood.
Conservatives and religious figures reacted negatively to the Nike Air Max 97 trainers.
However after they proved extremely popular with his fans, Lil Nas X wrote this on social media: ‘Y’all talked so much s*** about these shoes just for them to sell out in literally less than one minute.’
‘Lmao y’all going out SAD!’
The Church of Satan, on the other hand, supported the footwear, asking him to ‘hook us up with a pair’.
He has justified utilising religious elements in his work, dismissing accusations that they were a ‘gimmick’.
Instead, Lil Nas X said he was ‘just an artist expressing myself in different ways’.
‘Whether I’m a cowboy, gay, satanic, or now Christian y’all find a problem! Y’all don’t police nobody else art like mine. Y’all hate me because I’m fun cute and petite,’ he posted on Twitter.