Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X poses in the press room during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 26, 2019.
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
  • Lil Nas X released his single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" on Friday.
  • The song's music video features satanic content, which led to backlash from parents whose kids love his previous song, "Old Town Road."
  • He responded by saying it's not his job to cater to kids and noted "OTR" also had mature lyrics.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Lil Nas X is defending himself after angering parents over the appropriateness of his new music, as well as his first single "Old Town Road."

On Friday, the 21-year-old singer dropped his new track, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)," along with an explicit music video that shows Lil Nas X sliding down a pole into hell and having a sexual encounter with the devil.

The video was met with outrage by parents, who argued that it seemed inappropriate for an artist whose breakout single was widely beloved by children.

Joyner Lucas, a rapper and father of a 5-year-old, tweeted on Sunday, "I think the biggest problem for me is the fact he don't understand 'old town road' is every kids anthem."

"Children love him for that record. They tuned in and subscribed to his channels. So with no disclaimer he just dropped some left field ish & all our kids seen it. Smh," Lucas concluded.

Lil Nas X responded to Lucas, saying that "Old Town Road" was never appropriate for children as it contains lyrics about adult topics like lean and adultery, and isn't responsible for it being a "kids anthem."

"u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself," he wrote.

When another parent accused the singer of "targeting kids," Lil Nas X stood by his creative decision and replied, "There was no system involved. i made the decision to create the music video. i am an adult. i am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job."

Nick Young, a former NBA player and dad of two, also said he didn't want his kids subscribing to "Old Town Road" any longer. He also took issue with the song's release being bundled with a product called "Satan Shoe," a new sneaker that contains a drop of real human blood.

"My kids will never play Old Town road again.. I'm still debating about wearing @Nike after this come Nike a drop of blood for real," the athlete tweeted. However, Nike has denied involvement in the making of the shoe.

"We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF," Nike said in a statement given to NBC News. "Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them."

Lil Nas X didn't seem fazed by Young's message, however, saying that fans "shouldn't be playing old town road anyway, we streaming call me by your name now."

Not all parents were mad about Lil Nas X's latest project, though. The singer's own father chimed in on the discussion by texting his son a supportive message, which Lil Nas X shared on Twitter.

"Very creative video. I got through it [laughing emojis]. Congratulations. Live life on your own terms. Very PROUD of you," he wrote.

Lil Nas X also faced backlash over the weekend from conservatives, who were upset about his Satan-themed sneaker drop.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem reacted to the "Satan Shoe" on Twitter, writing, "Our kids are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it's 'exclusive.' But do you know what's more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul."

Lil Nas X replied to the message by telling Noem to focus her attention on her constituents. "Ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes. Do ur job!" he wrote.

Despite the outrage, Lil Nas X has continued promoting his project. Earlier today, he dropped an extended version of his single, entitled "Montero (Call Me by Your Name) [Satan's extended version]."

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