September 16, 2021
Kid Cudi Stands with Lil Nas X Against Homophobia in Hip-Hop
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Actor and hip-hop artist Kid Cudi sent a shout-out of support to out fellow artist Lil Nas X, Billboard reports.
Cudi, writing the text for Lil Nas X's entry in this year's 100 Most Influential People list from TIME Magazine, pushed back against critics of the out artist who claimed there was no other Black male featured on Lil Nas X's new album "Montero". At the same time, Kid Cudi declared his enthusiastic support for the unapologetically gay chart-topper.
"When I saw the tweet about Nas' album 'Montero' not featuring Black male artists, and he replied that 'maybe a lot of them just don't wanna work with me,' that made me sad," Cudi stated.
"There's a homophobic cloud over hip-hop, and he's going to break that sh-t down," Cudi continued. "We have to stand with him."
Cudi praised Nas X for being "a new twist on some of the themes I was riding on when I first started out: being true to yourself and not giving a f-ck what anyone says."
"What he's doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records – that is huge for us and for Black excellence," Cudi wrote.
"The way he's unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock 'n' roll. He's a true rock star."
Kid Cudi recently made waves with an acclaimed role on the HBO Miniseries "We Are Who We Are," directed by out "Call Me by Your Name" director Luca Guadagnino.
Coincidentally – or maybe not – the first single from "Montero" was the title track, which was subtitled, "Call Me by Your Name".
"I'm going to do whatever I have to do to let him know – you have my support," Cudi declared in his comments about Lil Nas X.
Cudi closed out with an appealing offer: "When we do our song together, however trippy the video is, let's get sexy with it."
The two artists have already hinted at such a collab on Twitter. Cudi responded to Nas X's tweet about Black male artists being unwilling to work with him, writing, "N---a I'll work w u and frolic in rose gardens w u singin about my pain."
Lil Nas X then tweeted out: "u heard it here first everybody. kid cudi x lil nas for montero deluxe."
More immediately, "Montero", which is Lil Nas X's hotly-anticipated debut album, is due to drop Sept. 17.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
