THE X FACTOR
Sliding down a pole into hell to give Satan himself a lap dance, Lil Nas X delivered the synapse-sizzling visual of 2021 in his MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name) video. If us homos are destined to burn in the flaming abode of eternal damnation, well, it looks like a real giggle, tbh.
Attitude’s Person of the Year really does have a devil-may-care mentality. Rather than subtly nod to his sexuality, the rapper practically buries his face in between the proverbial butt cheeks of his queerness, gleefully stoking the fires of conservative, pearl-clutching critics. One of the few ‘out’ artists taking up space in the homophobia-stained hip-hop/rap genre, Lil Nas X, aka Montero Lamar Hill, is blazing trails by being his most mischievous, joyful and unapologetic self. At the BET Awards this summer, he spread the love by kissing one of his male backup dancers on stage because, yes, same-sex smooching is a thing (gasp).
The 22-year-old American’s rise has been rocket-like. Check the stats: three chart-topping singles in the States; two UK no.1s; a critically acclaimed debut album, MONTERO; Grammy wins; and MTV Music Awards – there are no signs that he will descend to earth (or hell) any time soon.
To celebrate the superstar’s appearance at the summit of our annual 101 List, we caught up with five Black queer musicians making noise on this
