Lil Nas X Just Called Out “Homophobia In The Black Community” After His BET Awards Snub And Said “Queer Men Are More Respected When They Do Less Feminine Things”

“How can I get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people?”

It’s fair to say that the past 12 months have been pretty good for Lil Nas X. The 23-year-old rapper released his critically acclaimed album Montero in September, as well as two No. 1 singles: “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” which featured Jack Harlow.

The annual ceremony was established by the Black Entertainment Television network in 2001 and is a highly respected show that celebrates the success of Black people in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment from the past year.

Lil Nas first reacted to the snub when BET initially shared this year’s list of nominees, tweeting at the time: “thank you bet awards. an outstanding zero nominations again. black excellence!”

Someone then asked him what he’d put out to warrant a nomination, and Lil Nas dryly replied: “idk maybe 3 of the biggest songs of last year & a critically acclaimed album. i feel like that should’ve helped me a bit.”

Another person claimed that his releases didn’t come under the hip-hop genre, but Lil Nas pointed out that the BETs also have a pop category.

“doesn’t even have to be me nominated,” he added. “i just feel like black gay ppl have to fight to be seen in this world and even when we make it to the top mfs try to pretend we are invisible.”

One person wrote, “You got a whole Grammy… why are you acting like this?” But the star argued that this was only proving his point.

“this is my point exactly how can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people?” he tweeted. “is that not crazy? am i really tripping.”

“love frank and tyler to death but can we admit queer men are more respected when they do less feminine things or am I making that up?” Lil Nas tweeted in response.

“ok cool i suck, my music is terrible, bad nas,” he said. “now answer the question ‘are queer men are more respected when they do less feminine things’ yes or no?”

Throughout his career, the rapper has even been accused of being a “devil worshipper” for his attention-grabbing shows and music videos — particularly the one for his chart-topping single “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” which upset Christians as it depicted Lil Nas giving Satan a lap dance following his descent to hell.

And Lil Nas’s performance at last year’s BET Awards sparked anti-gay backlash after he kissed his male backup dancer onstage. When he addressed the controversy on social media afterward, Lil Nas admitted that he was “trembling” before the kiss because he knew it was unlike anything that’d happened at the awards show before.

“it took me a lot of time to mentally prepare for this performance. while on stage i was trembling knowing that i was performing something like that in front of my straight peers,” he wrote at the time. “even during the performance i was having a hard time calming my nerves.”

They said: “We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed ‘Old Town Road’ with Billy Ray Cyrus at BET Awards 2019 and his BET Awards 2021 performance was a highlight of our show. No one cheered louder that night than BET.”

“Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers, and creative arts. No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy,” they continued.

“At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful persity that exists within our community,” the statement went on. “We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community.”

Lil Nas X has not yet acknowledged BET’s explanation.

More on this

A Year After Kissing His Backup Dancer At The BET Awards, Lil Nas X Received Zero NominationsNatasha Jokic · June 2, 2022
Lil Nas X Made A Lighthearted Joke About Boosie Badazz, Who Then Replied With A Disgusting Anti-Gay Rant About HimRyan Schocket · Oct. 24, 2021
Lil Nas X Was Called A “Little Fool With Zero Talent” After Wearing A Crop Top At The Grammys And He’s Just As Confused As The Rest Of UsStephanie Soteriou · April 6, 2022
51 Times Men Said No To Traditional Suits On The Red CarpetRhianna Campbell · April 12, 2022

Stephanie Soteriou is a Celebrity Reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London
Contact Stephanie Soteriou at [email protected].
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