Those that frequently use social media should know that Lil Nas X, born MONTERO Lamar Hill, still manages to create a bold statement in a 280 character tweet. In his self-titled debut album, “MONTERO”, he slowly conquers the music industry in a 41 minute masterpiece comprising 15 tracks, he slowly conquers the music industry. 

Lil Nas X has taken the world by storm over the last two years, dominating the marketing and music industries in many different ways.

The official album cover of Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO”.

After his viral song “Old Town Road” hit airwaves, Lil Nas X’s presence became increasingly hard to ignore. That track came alongside his first extended play titled “7” which consists of intriguingly addictive production and lyricism. 

With the whole world’s eyes on him, Lil Nas X came out as gay on June 30, 2019—the last day of pride month—via Twitter. 

Always inspiring and enlivening, Lil Nas X stands as a role model for our generation and many others, especially the LGBTQ+ community. He is an example of how representation is consistently brought into the mainstream music industry. 

This move paved the way to his album “MONTERO”.

“MONTERO” in and of itself is a grand expression of being gay. Songs such as “Sun Goes Down” expresses the overwhelming feeling of loneliness, desperation, insecurity and pain that can come with being a gay teenager. It can teach gay teenagers that things will change and that life is worth living. In this song, two different perspectives are represented, a depression perspective and a more grounded and supportive one. The track could even sit in a library as a resource for reassurance that things will get better. 

The title track “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” sits as a representation of passionate love between two males, a narrative that is rare to hear in the mainstream music industry. It also didn’t come without its controversies, launching with a Satan lap-dance music video and a limited run of Satan Nike shoes that contained real human blood. However, Lil Nas X’s brilliance brought attention to this piece of media from all types of people around the world. 

When the track featuring Jack Harlow titled “Industry Baby” released, Lil Nas X guaranteed he was far from being forgotten. The song itself even has a music video in which Lil Nas X escapes jail following a censored naked dance break.

After the album’s unique roll-out on Sept. 17—which included very real looking pregnancy photos of Lil Nas X to represent the birth of his album—it came as no surprise that people instantly started conversation. The album is a vibrant pronouncement of LGBTQ+ lifestyle based on his experiences and the overwhelming emotions that come along with it.

Lil Nas X essentially shows the world that being gay is not easy in any sense of the word.

The track “Tales of Dominica ” captures the anxious conversation many people have with themselves about how others view you, how you should act or who others want you to be. The song “Scoop” featuring Doja Cat is a hard song to get out of your head. The Elton John feature “One of Me” is after, which captures the one hit wonder perception the media placed on Lil Nas X after he released “Old Town Road.” Tracks like “Void” sit as personal messages to people’s past selves and the lessons they’ve yet to learn.

The album concludes with the heart-wrenching “Am I Dreaming”, which features Miley Cyrus. The passion radiating from this song is strong and effective by gripping the listener with a slow paced production that increasingly gets more reminiscent.

With his first studio album “MONTERO”, Lil Nas X sits as a vibrant expression of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle in a rap and pop format. Rising up the charts and following multiple controversies, he’s proven his lyricism, production, work ethic and marketing is enough to push his career to huge lengths and keep his name in people’s mouths and minds.

An album like “MONTERO” only comes around so often, and it’s one meant for anyone willing to listen to the experiences of a young LGBTQ+ kid and all the emotional struggles that come along the way, big or small.

Gabe Kanae can be reached at jaedynyoung@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.