Lil Nas X responded to criticism of a pregnancy-themed photo shoot promoting his debut studio album “Montero” on Thursday, telling online users that he’s “not a representation of anyone” but himself.
Ahead of the album’s September 17 release, the 22-year-old rapper (whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill) posed for a fake pregnancy photo shoot with People. The forthcoming album, he explained, is his baby.
“SURPRISE! I can’t believe i’m finally announcing this. My little bundle of joy ‘MONTERO’ is due September 17, 2021,” he wrote on Instagram.
Lil Nas X included photos of himself cradling his stomach along with an ultrasound of the “Montero” album cover artwork.
A post shared by MONTERO (@lilnasx)
Like much of Lil Nas X’s work, the pregnancy-themed portraits proved to be divisive.
Many of his fans applauded the pictures, offering their congratulations to the artist and expressing their excitement for “Montero.”
https://twitter.com/SaycheeseDGTL/status/1433530020220313601″ data-analytics-module=”body_link“let me get offline,” the artist tweeted, adding, “all of this negative energy is not good for the baby.”
—MONTERO 🦋 (@LilNasX) September 2, 2021
The Grammy winner told People that the concept for the photo shoot came to him after he listened to Megan Thee Stallion’s verse on his unreleased “Montero” track, “Dolla Sign Slime,” for the first time.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’ so I immediately called my stylist,” he said. “She was like, ‘Wow, this all comes together. Your album. Your baby.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, this is my baby, huh?’ As a joke, she was like, ‘Yeah, you should do a pregnancy shoot.’ “I was like, ‘You know what? That’s actually brilliant.'”
Since he happened to share a meme of 12 pregnant man emojis in mockery of Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” album cover days prior, a pregnancy announcement seemed perfect.