Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow have responded to comments and shared some extra details around their new joint single, ‘Industry Baby’.
Nas and Harlow shared the track on Friday (July 23), along with a music video depicting the pair escaping a prison.
Similar to the response he received around his earlier single ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’, Nas spent some time defending criticism from users online.
“White corporate music execs funded a music video with Lil Nas X, where a bunch of Black men are in prison twerking. And the lone white man, Jack Harlow is sexually involved with a FEMALE guard,” one Twitter user wrote.
“But all the Black men are sexually engaging with each other. This is progress?”
Nas responded, “lemme explain. lil nas = gay so he wit boy. jack harlow = straight so he wit girl. got it??”
lemme explain
lil nas = gay
so he wit boyjack harlow = straight
so he wit girlgot it?? https://t.co/KghECFfSOw
— nope
(@LilNasX) July 24, 2021
The rapper also responded to the all-too-familiar accusations of pushing a “gay agenda” by saying “if someone influences you to suck cock you probably already wanted to suck cock”.
Others condemned the music video for making light of the US prison system, which disproportionately affects Black Americans.
“I know the pain that incarceration brings to a family. And the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on the black community. that’s why I teamed up with [The Bail Project] to create the Bail X Fund. let’s bring people home!” the rapper said in response.
on a serious note, i know the pain that incarceration brings to a family. and the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on the black community. that’s why i teamed up with @bailproject to create the Bail X Fund. let’s bring people home!
https://t.co/c6YOhNex7e
— nope
CBS News reports the fund has raised at least £15,000 ($21,000) so far.
Elsewhere, Harlow said he “followed [Nas’] lead every step of the way”, and would’ve joined him in the shower scene if asked.
“If he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook. Honored to be apart of it.”
Nas wrote the whole treatment for this video and I followed his lead every step of the way. If he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook. Honored to be apart of it.
— Jack Harlow (@jackharlow) July 23, 2021
Lil Nas X is expected to release his debut album ‘Montero’ sometime later this year. The rapper shared a Marvel-themed trailer last month teasing the record.
The post Lil Nas X responds to criticism from ‘Industry Baby’ music video appeared first on NME.
