Lil Nas X Releases Raunchy New Music Video and Fans Weigh In

Allison Schonter

07/23/2021 11:57 am EDT

After teasing its release earlier this week with a video showing him "on trial" in connection to his infamous "Satan Shoes," Lil Nas X was sentenced to five years in Montero State Prison in the music video for his new single, "Industry Baby." Released Friday, the music video quickly generated plenty of buzz online thanks to a scene of the singer dancing naked in the jailhouse shower and even a cameo from Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes.

Spanning a length of just under four minutes, the Christian Breslauer-directed video begins 3-months into Nas' imprisonment, with the singer dusting off his multiple Grammys and tidying up his various accolades. Throwing a little side-eye at those who thought he'd simply be another one-hit-wonder with "Old Town Road," he sings "Funny how you said it was the end/Then I went, did it again." Elsewhere in the video, Haynes appears as a security guard lusting over Nas, who is also seen embracing his sexuality. In one scene, he dances nude in the shower with his fellow nude inmates. The music video ends with a prison riot and subsequent jailbreak.

Upon its release at midnight, the "Industry Baby" video sparked chatter on social media, with many taking to Twitter to weigh in. By mid-morning Friday, "Lil Nas" even became a trending phrase on the social media platform, with many people unable to hold back on their reactions to that shower dance sequence. Keep scrolling to see what people had to say.

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"Industry Baby is so f–ing good," tweeted one person. "Genuinely not another artist like Lil Nas X out there, man builds the hype and delivers every time."

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Ahead of the song's release on Wednesday, Nas revealed that "Industry Baby" was a song he wrote, in part, for his younger self. In a social media post, the singer shared a note with his fans that he wrote to his younger self. It was dedicated to "20-year-old Montero" and saw the rapper giving himself a pep talk.

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"I wrote a song for us," he began in the note. "I know sometimes you feel like it's all downhill from here. I know your sexuality has made you feel like an outcast amongst your peers. I know going from having the biggest song in the world to being trapped in your apartment is weighing heavy on you. And I know if you hear the phrase 'one hit wonder' one more time you might combust. But I need you to keep going."

"I need you to realize that you have the opportunity to be the person that you needed growing up," he continued. "I need you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. And I need you to remember that the only person who has to believe in YOU is YOU."

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"First thing I did this morning was watch the Industry Baby video by [Lil Nas X]," wrote another. "A f–ing banger, indeed."

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Along with the release of the "Industry Baby" music video, Nas announced he partnered with The Bail Project, a national nonprofit organization on a mission to end cash bail. In a statement, Nas said, "it's personal. I know the pain that incarceration brings to a family. And I know the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on Black Americans and the LGBTQ community. Let's bring people home & let's fight for freedom and equality." He added that "music is the way I fight for liberation. It's my act of resistance."

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"Lil Nas X always gonna give you a VISUAL, he's definitely talented and creative asf" tweeted somebody else.

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Along with his singles "Sun Goes Down" and "Montero," "Industry Baby" will be available on Nas' upcoming album, Montero. The album does not yet have a release date.

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