Lil Nas X

• Who is Lil Nas X?

  American rapper, singer, and songwriter
• What was Lil Nas X's top song and when did it come out?

  2019 country rap single "Old Town Road"

  • The longest-running number-one song since the U.S. Billboard Hot 100's 1958 inception
• When did Lil Nas X come out as gay?

  June 2019
• What is Lil Nas X known for?

  Making controversial music videos - seen in Call Me By Your Name and J Christ
• Lil Nas X uses his music videos to express himself and his beliefs
• Lil Nas X challenges the norms and beliefs of other people
• Lil Nas X is now openly gay in the hip-hop community which has historically been known to be heteronormative and homophobic
• The song 'Sun Goes Down'


  Released in May 2021 as part of Lil Nas X's debut album 'Montero'
• The 'Sun Goes Down' music video has over 45 million views on YouTube - not that good in comparison to his other M/Vs which get over 100M views
• In his tweet about the 'Sun Goes Down' music video, Lil Nas X talks about how it's about the younger version of him who's struggling inside, hates himself and doesn't want to live
• Aims of the 'Sun Goes Down' music video

  • Express his past self in comparison to who he is now
  • Show how much he has grown as an artist and a person
  • Challenge stereotypes about being gay and black in the hip-hop industry
• Themes in the 'Sun Goes Down' music video

  • Self-hatred
  • Bullying
  • Acceptance
• Representation of Lil Nas X meditating

  • Represents him being at peace with himself where he has fully accepted his identity and doesn't consider it as something he hates, rejects or questions anymore - a development from his past self
• Lil Nas X using intertextual references to his past music videos


  • Promotes his past work and achievements
  • Establishes connection between works
  • Reflects on his journey to who he is now and what 'made' him
  • Nod to loyal fans
• Lil Nas X skipping past the Panini music video when looking at his past self

  • The Panini music video was an example where Lil Nas X conformed to expectations and stereotypes, he pursues a woman despite being gay and showcases a heteronormative reality
  • Panini was also where Lil Nas X is seen as very powerful and controlling whereas Sun Goes Down he shows his vulnerability
  • Shows that he has moved on from the past where he had to hide his identity
• Lil Nas X's past self questioning his own physical features asking 'Was I too dark?'

  • Demonstrates his past internalised racism, where he wishes he wasn't black due to how people would bully him, constantly pushing him to have suicidal thoughts
  • Conforms to the stereotype of how black people are constantly bullied and made fun of for how they look
  • Lil Nas X makes a statement about issues surrounding racism and discrimination as these are still prevalent in society and that bullying in itself is a serious problem leading to detrimental mental health
• Lil Nas X showcasing his past self praying in his own room which is shaped like a church, distraught and asking God to 'take these gay thoughts away from him'

  • Expresses the difficulties of being gay and religious which don't mix together
  • Explores Lil Nas X's lack of belonging as stereotypically many African-Americans tend to be Christian
• Lil Nas X being in several communities where his true identity isn't tolerated

  • His past self is praying to take his identity away from him in order to fit into what the communities he's in wants, Lil Nas X is on his knees almost as though he's begging, showing how he is desperate and rejecting his identity
  • His current self is sat on the bed, not praying showing how he now doesn't feel the need to pray since he has accepted who he is
• Lil Nas X creating a representation of the teenage American high school experience

  • Use of doodles everyone recognises, stan twitter, varsity jacket and lockers
  • Stereotypical representation of the American high school experience
  • Depiction of what Lil Nas X has to experience growing up and would link to his audience's own experience since they would also be American
  • By having something that is easily recognisable and a common ground between Lil Nas X and his audience, makes his music video more real and genuine, Lil Nas X is showing his most true and vulnerable self
  • Audience is able to share in these past experiences, Lil Nas X makes it known that no one is alone in experiencing what he did
• Lil Nas X showcasing a prom scene where he is overwhelmingly surrounded by heterosexual couples

  • This reflects the state of the hip-hop community where it is all about heteronormativity
  • We can see Lil Nas X's discomfort and isolation as he feels as though he doesn't belong to the community before him
• Lil Nas X is seen leaving the prom area and crying in the toilet stalls, close-up shot of him crying


  • Stereotypical portrayal of American high school where the toilet is commonly seen as a place for someone to hide away - shared experiences to the audience who may have experienced this too
  • We witness the pain of Lil Nas X as he feels as though he doesn't belong at prom and doesn't fit in with everyone else
• Throughout the music video we see two versions of Lil Nas X: his past self, and his current self acting like a pseudo guardian angel


  • Two versions represent how far Lil Nas X has come in terms of accepting his identity
  • His current self sings words of encouragement to his past self, and by the end they walk out together indicating how Lil Nas X has accepted himself and is ready to face the world as he is