Lil Nas X is a very brave young man. Prior to his fame as an artist, the 21-year-old ran a Nicki Minaj fan page on social media and, this year for Halloween, he decided to play off that by dressing up as the superstar rapper in her "Super Bass" music video.
The star's fan base loved what he put together, praising him for doing his part in breaking down gender norms. As expected, though, a number of people have been responding to his costume with homophobic remarks.
50 Cent laughed at Lil Nas X and re-posted his pictures, which caught the attention of Dave East, who did him one better.
"And y'all was mad at me about this n***a," wrote Dave East on Instagram Stories, referring to his past controversy after critiquing LNX's music. "Bati mon bun up!"
"Batty boy" is a homophobic slur used against gay men in Jamaican Patois.
Lil Nas X has already taken time to respond to the New York rapper, and he followed that up with some words on Twitter, addressing the public outrage over his Halloween costume.
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"It’s november 2nd and grown men are waking up to have group discussions about a costume i wore on Halloween," said LNX, joking about how ridiculous it is that people care so much.
He also responded to a fan who suggested that he's wrong for dressing up as Nicki Minaj, claiming that children will be inspired to do the same. "So by this logic if i put on a shrek costume all of these little kids will want to shrek right?" he said, fighting back.
It's unfortunate that there is so much rampant homophobia in the hip-hop community but, thankfully, Lil Nas X is trying to tear it down. He's got millions of fans that are on his side, too.