Lil Nas X has once again been accused of “trolling Christians” after announcing plans to study biblical studies at Liberty University. (Getty/Leon Neal)
Lil Nas X has once again been accused of “trolling Christians” after announcing his plans to go back to college to study biblical studies at Liberty University.
The “Industry Baby” singer has been getting a lot of flak from religious social media users ever since he shared plans to release queer Christian music.
While a lot of the backlash to Lil Nas X’s apparent re-discovery of God is rooted in extreme homophobia, many have shared their concerns that he will be poking fun at their religious beliefs.
Throughout all of the promotion for his next project, Lil Nas X has repeatedly insisted that he is sincere about entering his “Christian era”.
Still, the “Oldtown Road” hitmaker can’t help but stir up a little controversy whenever he spies an opportunity.
The Grammy-winning artist – whose real name is Montero Hill – took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday (9 January) to tell his followers that he had enrolled as a student at Liberty University, a Christian University based in Virginia.
Sharing a photo of his acceptance letter, he tweeted: “I know Twitter hates me right now but I want y’all to know I’m literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall.
“Not everything is a troll! Anyways IM A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO.”
Initially, followers congratulated Lil Nas X on his college acceptance. Some hardcore Christian users even eased up on the rapper and shared their hopes that he would soon learn why they wanted him to “repent”.
However, upon closer inspection, some fans noticed that the acceptance letter might not be legit.
The primary clue that this letter is at least partially doctored is the closing signature from President Jerry Falwell.
The issue here is that Jerry Falwell is not the president of Liberty University. Dondi E. Costin is and has been since July 2023.
Jerry Falwell Jr was the president of Liberty University from 2007 to 2020 before he resigned in the wake of a shocking sex scandal that rocked tabloids, as told in the 2022 Hulu documentary God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down A Dynasty.
Some fans copped to the joke quickly.
“Boo get better material. [Your] trolling of Christians is so 1980’s,” tweeted one follower.
Others took the singer’s announcement seriously and wished him good luck with his education.
When the joke finally lands, it’ll be the latest of many stunts Lil Nas X has employed to promote his next project, which he has teased as the “greatest comeback of all time.”
On Monday (9 January), the superstar provoked Christian followers when he dropped the first official promo image for his upcoming single, which drops on 12 January.
The image, which shows him portraying Jesus on the cross while it’s hoisted up by five people, was accompanied by the caption: “My new single is dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time. J Christ. January 12, 2023, 00:00 EST. Be there.”
While all this trolling has got Lil Nas X stans hyped for his release on Friday, some are worried that he might have gone too far this time, and really could get cancelled.
But the singer is certain that it’s all going to pay off come Friday.
“The problem is y’all judge everything at face value,” he tweeted on Wednesday (10 January).
“i’ve never released a visual without an underlying meaning and y’all know that. But since I’m a troll y’all discount my art as just ‘pissing ppl off’.”
We need to get to the bottom of this. Friday can’t come quick enough!