Following the arrival of Lil Nas X’s new song “SUN GOES DOWN,” the rapper has addressed Nicki Minaj’s fanbase after some of them questioned why he name-dropped her on the track.
In “SUN GOES DOWN,” which sees him reflecting on his life pre-fame, the rapper even references his fandom. “I’d be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin’ into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?” he sings in the first verse. The video for song even includes a brief moment of him tweeting from his old Twitter username, @nasmaraj.
Some of Nicki’s fanbase believed that Lil Nas X was only name-dropping her in the song for attention, which he was quick to shoot down in a tweet.
“To the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year,” Lil Nas X wrote on Twitter. “And it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.”
Related Stories
Lil Nas X's Releases the Video for His New Track "SUN GOES DOWN"
Lil Nas X co-directed the visual with Psycho Films. The video finds the rapper traveling back in time to provide some much-needed comfort to his younger self.
Lil Nas X Checked Himself for Feeling Jealousy Toward Billie Eilish After Grammy Loss
His time spent “literally in the house by myself” helped him put those feelings aside, he told the publication, as the 22-year-old’s perspective changed.
Lil Nas X Says He's Not Afraid of Offending Straight Fans
In an 'Entertainment Weekly' cover story, the chart-topping internet legend discussed the controversy around his No. 1 single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)."
When Lil Nas X first gained traction in 2019 off the success of “Old Town Road,” some pointed out that he used to run a Nicki Minaj fan account on Twitter. He initially appeared to distance himself from the fanbase, but in 2020 he admitted he was a fairly active member of Nicki’s fanbase, otherwise known as the Barbz. “I didn’t want people to know I was gay tbh,” he tweeted. When a fan tweeted at him saying “being a Barb don’t make you gay,” he replied, “It don’t but people will assume if you had an entire fan page dedicate to nicki u are gay. and the rap/music industry ain’t exactly built or accepting of gay men yet.”
Nicki Minaj herself hasn’t replied to the shout-out, but it’s hard to see how it could be perceived as a diss.
