But the night didn't go off completely without a hitch. While walking the red carpet, the 22-year-old rapper stopped for a pre-show interview with journalist Jamila Mustafa.
In a now-viral clip of the chat, which has been viewed over 2.5 million times on Twitter, Lil Nas X told Mustafa "I'm happy, I look good. Don't I look a little good?"
LIKE WHAT https://t.co/TYK0sLdKXt
"I'm not gon' say I'm hatin' on the fit," the broadcast journalist commented. "But let's move on."
Now, whether or not she meant this as a compliment or a dig is being widely debated. In one view, her saying she's not hating on his outfit could be framed as another way of saying she's not jealous of it because it's bad; or she could mean she's not hating on his appearance because there's nothing bad about it.
@blairsmani I took this completely different than y’all are. To me it was like she was trying to say “I’m not gone say I’m hating, but I’m hating” but instead she said let’s move on lmao.
When it comes to language and dialects, phrases can have completely different meanings depending on the delivery — but this delivery has been perceived to be...a bit shady. And whether they be a Lil Nas X stan or casual viewer, everyone seems to have an opinion about the interaction.
Some appreciated Mustafa for her honesty and found the interview style refreshing...
She was nice, but of course, people will drag her for her honest opinion smh. We need more honest interviewers. https://t.co/zS0ReFV6i6
...and they see nothing wrong with answering a question candidly when asked.
she did nothing wrong?? 😂 she didn’t like it oh well, y’all cry about everything 😂 he shouldn’t have asked https://t.co/8U0fRVlfXZ
But others felt like the dig — whether it was intentional or not — was excessive and unnecessary...
plsss he was so cute and she dragged his fit for WHAT https://t.co/MtnfCaPFmT
...especially considering Lil Nas X was channeling famed singer-songwriter Rick James.
Nah, y'all hating when he's obviously paying homage to Rick James, most of his outfits are inspired by other artists who've obviously influenced him. He's got courage and fights against the mainstream, just cause it's not your personal style don't mean shit https://t.co/0NjhvpuG0n