Saturday Night Live kicked off their cold open with a homage to the recent controversy surrounding cultural resetter, Lil Nas X.
Lil Nas X’s cameo on the late-night comedy sketch show began with the opening sketch, Oops You Did It Again, a fictional talk show hosted by ‘Brittney Spears’ (Chloe Fineman) who spotlights the “pariah’s of the week,” with the makeshift Spears determining who is “innocent or not that innocent.”
Spears’ guests included none other than Chris Redd in the role of Nas, as well as Kate McKinnon filling the shoes of infamous Looney Tunes sex-pest, Pepé Le Pew.
As many of you may remember if you checked the internet once last week, Lil Nas X copped adoration and admonishment from all areas of pop culture after releasing his MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) music video, which features Nas pole dancing down to hell and giving a lap dance to the devil himself. Iconic.
Nas also got into hot water with the likes of Nike, following reports that Lil Nas X had collaborated with Brooklyn-based arts company, MSCHF, to create modified Nike Air Max 97s that were decorated with a pentagram, and contained drops of literal human blood. It was a wild ride, if you were there.
“People are afraid of me because I’m different, but really I’m just your average gay, Black country rap, sneakered entrepreneur,” Redd’s-Nas responded when Fineman’s Spears asked about the social media backlash.
what does this even mean lmaooo pic.twitter.com/HlKNJxiCNE
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 4, 2021
However, Spears wasn’t done there.
“Is it true that they’re Nikes made with human blood?” Fineman asked.
“Yeah, but I don’t know why Nike’s so mad,” Nas responded,
“Their whole thing is ‘just do it.’ Well, I did it.”
To make matters better (or worse), Nas then proceeded to “even things out” by giving a lap dance to God (Mikey Day) after discussing his decision to give a lap dance to Satan. Go off!
snl going to hell pic.twitter.com/OBkJBBpPXM
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 4, 2021
Nas has previously responded to right-wing commentators and conservative punters, who criticised MONTERO’s use of biblical imagery and continual references to gay sex, refusing to apologise for the inherent queerness in his artistic expression.
“there was no system involved. i made the decision to create the music video,” Lil Nas X tweeted last week (March 27).
“I am an adult. i am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job.”
“there is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. me sliding down a cgi pole isn’t what’s destroying society,” Nas reiterated in a now-deleted Tweet.
Needless to say, the irony of this backlash rocketing MONTERO to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is devilishly good.
