While Wu-Tang Clan’s late ‘Ol Dirty Bastard once famously stated that his group was “for the children,” Lil Nas X makes no such promises. In fact, hip-hop’s reigning master of pot-stirring issued a very urgent warning to parents about the visual for the upcoming Kanye West co-produced single.
“saying this in advance so y’all won’t blame me. THE ‘INDUSTRY BABY’ VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUR KIDS!” Nas tweeted on Tuesday (July 20). The parental caution came a day after Nas teased the courtroom-based video for the song set to feature Jack Harlow and production by West and Take a Daytrip.
And, when a fan tweeted that their 2-year-old loves Lil Nas’ music and wondered “how can you not make it appropriate for everyone,” the rapper unleashed one of his signature spicy replies. “bless ur 2 year olds heart but i need to be a slut sometimes sir.”
The advance warning comes after the artist previously faced backlash for his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video, which was released in March. In the visual, Lil Nas X slides down a stripper pole and gives Satan a lap dance. The outcry prompted Saturday Night Live to spoof the moment in an April sketch.
On Monday (July 19), the 22-year-old rapper uploaded a video titled “Nike v. Lil Nas X — Satan Shoes Trial,” in which Lil Nas performs a two-minute sketch acting out a fictional legal battle against the iconic shoe brand for his viral “Satan shoes” released back in March. (The actual court case between Nike and MSCHF settled in April.)
Acting in multiple roles including as himself, his lawyer, opposing counsel, the judge and more, Lil Nas lampoons the fictitious trial, which quickly devolves from being about his shoes to focusing on his sexuality. “Let me rephrase the question: Do your momma know you gay?” Lil Nas Attorney asks him while on the stand in the video. When he answers “yes,” a Lil Nas Juror makes his feelings on the matter clear: “Lock him up, throw away the key.”
The clip ends with Lil Nas X being sentenced to “5 years in Montero State Prison” (a reference to his No. 1 single “Montero”), before teasing the song and video for “Industry Baby,” which is due out this Friday (July 23).
Check out Lil Nas’ tweets below.