No One’s Gripping Culture like Lil Nas X

Perhaps it comes from his days running a Nicki Minaj stan account, perhaps it’s from growing up online in the Zoomer gen— whatever it is, there is no one showing up like Lil Nas X. From courting song features to courting controversy, he takes risks that others dream of, unafraid to spark conversations by speaking a uniquely internet-driven language. As a digitally native creator with a sophisticated sense of the inner-workings of social media, Lil Nas X’s online presence is a MasterClass in disrupting algorithms and owning a content-driven narrative.  

Lil Nax X’s latest foray into virality isn’t his first rodeo: a few years back, his single Old Town Road spent a record-breaking 19 weeks as the Billboard #1. Since then, he’s been a persistent beat in the culture, releasing his first EP in 2019 and a collaboration with Nas in 2020 — all without having a full-length album out. The viral success of MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) and tomorrow’s anticipated release of Sun Goes Down, his latest single, proves that he will continue eschewing the trope of the one-hit wonder.

MONTERO was teased back in July, but the song officially dropped last month, with an accompanying music video that’s racked up over 200M views. The video immediately led to an explosion of memes and uproar from conservatives: both the song and the video are absolutely, unapologetically queer. The video itself is campy and colorful, subverting imagery from the Bible and ending with Lil Nas sliding down a pole and giving Satan a lapdance in hell. It is, without a doubt, an empowering expression of male desire and it’s turned its haters into amplifiers of Lil Nas’s message. 

The video also features a unique collaboration: Satan wears a distinct pair of Nike Air Max 97s, a design dubbed the SATAN SHOE made in collaboration with the art collective MSCHF. The shoe is inscribed with a Bible verse and the air bubble sole is filled with red ink and a drop of human blood; 666 pairs were made, dropping for $1,018, and sold out in seconds. But it’s not the controversy surrounding the Satan Shoes or the video that’s shown off Lil Nas’s keen ability to keep the conversation rolling — it’s the content that’s surrounded the song itself. Read on for a mini MasterClass in content. 

Anticipate the UGC and celebrate it 

MONTERO doesn’t have official remixes yet (we’re waiting on that Rihanna and Bad Bunny remix, though), but it does have a myriad of variations that would have popped up eventually, made by other users. From the take on the ‘this song but you’re in the bathroom at the club’ trend, to the most recent acapella version of the song, Lil Nas created content before it was even requested. By staying in tune with the language of the internet, he’s played off sonic memes and his own penchant for remixes to create a swell of content that keeps the song top of mind. 

But he hasn’t only anticipated the UGC — he’s celebrated it, too. His Twitter feed and TikTok page feature content from his fans (now dubbed the Demons, lol), from the hysterical to the serious, encouraging others to express themselves and engage with his content and music as they please. 

Create content that exists outside of social media 

MONTERO also transcends the usual social media boundaries; yes, there’s TikTok sounds; there are memes; and screenshots abound of Lil Nas’s clapback tweets, proving that you should tailor your message for specific platforms. All of those ways of showing up are important in stoking the flames of conversation, but MONTERO also shows up elsewhere: on microsites dedicated to distinct aspects of the song’s phenomenon. 

Launched a week after the release of the music video, a browser game aptly called TWERK HERO (which works on both desktop and mobile, if you’re curious ????) streams MONTERO as a Lil Nas X avatar twerks through increasingly difficult levels featuring scenes from the video. A second microsite, The Book of Montero, generates a unique bit of scripture and plays off of the internet’s generator pages. Both Twerk Hero and The Book of Montero spur engagement outside of the usual social platforms and foster a unique approach to interaction with content. 

Subvert content tropes to get distinct messages across 

We’re more than a decade deep into living with social media and the past few years have given us an abundance of content tropes, and nothing speaks to the culture quite like an apology video. Following the conservative call-outs of the music video and the Satan Shoes, Lil Nas released an apology video, complete with a predictable thumbnail. However, seconds into the apology, there’s a cutaway to the original MONTERO video, subverting expectations. Most YouTube ‘apologies’ are half-hearted attempts to excuse bad behavior, but in this case, there is none — it’s just someone defending their art and being unapologetically themselves after years of being shamed for it. 

If you want to dig deep to find the meanings behind the memes, understand the state of the social landscape, or just hear more about our obsession with Lil Nas X, drop us a line. 

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Brenda