Lil Nas X Hopes His Coming Out Message Inspires Greater Acceptance in Hip-Hop and Country

X talked with the 'BBC Breakfast' team about his Pride Month message, noting that acceptance among both hip-hop and country fans isn't yet where it should be.

July 5, 2019

Preposterously, there are still people on this planet who take any chance they can get to mock someone for perceived differences. Such was the case among some Lil Nas X detractors last month when the Billy Ray Cyrus and Travis Barker collaborator shared a candid Pride Month message. Following his continued tweeted responses in which he has shrugged off such comments, X talked about the potential impact his coming out could have on both the country and hip-hop communities in a recent BBC Breakfast interview.

"I mean, it's just something that I was considering just never doing it, ever, just taking to the grave or something," X said of his coming out message. "But I don't wanna just live my entire life—especially, you know, how I just got to where I'm at—just not doing what I wanna do. And I'm also, I feel, opening doors for more people."

Asked what he hopes his message does for listeners, X pointed to his cross-genre approach as an artist as potentially opening even more minds. "That they feel more comfortable, pretty much, because especially within the country and the hip-hop communities, which both songs combine, it's not really accepted in either," he said.

And on the topic of any mockery he's received, X again kept it positive. "I'm already getting it," he said. "I mean, learning the internet over the past couple years, I used to be that person being negative. I'm not angry or anything because I understand how they just want that reaction, but I'm just gonna joke back with them."

The BBC appearance also included an impromptu dash of humor, as X unknowingly crossed in front of the cameras following his interview. "I didn't know," X explained when a fan pointed out the hilarity.

X's 7 EP, also featuring Cardi B and Ryan Tedder, is out now via Columbia.