Lil Nas X issued a statement to fans following his first appearance in court for charges related to an arrest in Los Angeles in August.
Outside of the courthouse, Lil Nas X shared a statement with a reporter that was directed to his fans.
“All I wanted to say is to my fans, I really love, and I miss you, and I appreciate your support so much, and I can’t wait to be back hugging you guys,” he said, then blowing a kiss. “You guys, have a good day.”
While leaving the area, Lil Nas X stopped and tipped a busker named Jensen Pawley $100 after he played Radiohead’s “Lucky.”
Lil Nas X is currently facing three counts of battery against a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer for his arrest last August. Officers responded to reports that the singer was walking down the street in his underwear. He allegedly charged at officers as they attempted to approach him.
Soon after the arrest, Lil Nas X spoke about the experience of being arrested and facing felony charges. “Your girl is gonna be OK, y’all. OK?” he said in a video posted to his Instagram Stories. “Shit’s gonna be all right, shit’s gonna be all right. Shit! That was fucking terrifying. That was terrifying! That was a terrifying last four days, but your girl is gonna be all right.”
The rapper’s father, Robert Stafford, later spoke about what potentially caused his “breakdown.”
“For a 26-year-old to have to deal with what he’s dealing with – to be a breadwinner for a lot of people, the inability to change his mother’s situation and the pressure he puts on himself – that can weigh heavily on your heart,” said Stafford. “I went to visit him in jail, and as soon as I walked through that door, I couldn’t do anything but cry. To see my baby boy on the other side of that glass. We shed tears with each other for a minute. And I had to tell him that ‘What you’re going through is normal.’”
That November, Lil Nas X’s lawyer, Drew Finding, said that the rapper was “doing amazing” and expects a “positive resolution” to the situation.