Lil Nas X covers the Pride Issue of EW, in which he talks about his latest hit and his haters.
The rap star said “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” almost didn’t happen because “at first I was really afraid of alienating any of my straight fans." But, he added, "then it was kind of like, if they feel offended, they were never really here for me. They were here for whatever version of myself they made up in their head.”
The track debuted at No. 1 and is still in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 after five weeks. “Montero” has proven that the 22-year-old “Old Town Road” rapper is no one-hit wonder.
Of course, popularity breeds contempt – but Lil Nas X said he has gained a new perspective on his haters.
“When I first got famous, I would block everybody. But now it's like, okay, cool,” he explained. “For me, I would rather somebody hate the s**t out of me when they're talking about me rather than not say anything at all, because that's giving more power to my name.”
The rapper makes no apologies for clapping back at many of the people who come at him on social media.
“I almost never want to start shooting at somebody who didn't bring it to my doorstep, you know? But I kind of live for when somebody tries to get me and I'm ready to throw it back at them tenfold,” he admitted. “Do I feel bad about it sometimes? Every now and then, but I feel less bad knowing that I didn't start it.
“I try to never throw stones, but if somebody throws one at me, I'm throwing an entire house.”