Lil Nas X dropped his latest music video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" last night, and whew, lord, is there a lot to unpack.
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He is known for consistently putting 110% into his artistically dynamic music videos, but "Montero" is out of this world (literally).
rip shakespeare, i know you would’ve loved montero by lil nas x
Let's get into it.
"In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see," says Lil Nas' voiceover in the opening shot. "We lock them away, we tell them, 'No,' we banish them. But here, we don't. Welcome to Montero."
"Montero," aka a reimagined Garden of Eden, is also Lil Nas X's real name. In his world, he is free to live unapologetically as himself.
Lil Nas then gets seduced by the snake-human thing and is taken to a coliseum to be executed — the first of many nods to Greek and Roman mythology.
But not before we first catch a glimpse of the writing on the Tree of Life that Lil Nas was previously leaning against.
I definitely can't read Greek, but based on Lil Nas' retweet of a fan's comment about the ancient text, I think that was indeed his intention.
Lil Nas X out here just dropping some Plato in his new video like oops did I leave that there https://t.co/684Libartt
What a history buff.
JUST as he is about to ascend to heaven, the biggest stripper pole I've ever seen shoots up in front of him and drags him straight to hell.
And then, from here, he's just chillin'. He's rockin' his knee-high boots, he's feeling the pole.
*Enter the devil*, who is sitting atop his throne surrounded by Latin words that translate as, "They condemn what they do not understand."
But the cherry on top of the cake in this whole music video is when Lil Nas literally "dances with the devil" in the form of a sexy little lap dance.
We know that Lil Nas is a fan of using humor to cope, so this lap dance could be a way of humorously reclaiming his narrative and owning his truth. And the verdict is out — the fans agree.
me watching lil nas x give a lap dance to satan in thigh highs and booty shorts
And then he TAKES THE DEVIL'S CROWN!!
This honestly might be one of his greatest videos to date. The thought he put into it and the creative freedoms he took rewriting some of the most famous texts in history...I stan.
Lil nas x pole dancing to hell is one of the most iconic things I've ever seen.
One last thought: Lil Nas X being the only character featured in the video EXCEPT the devil is powerful in itself.
Can't wait for this, tbh.
I’m so excited to watch Christian conservatives try to dunk on Lil Nas X on Twitter.... like baby you’re not ready to face our nation’s most powerful Barb.