On the last day of Pride Month, rapper Lil Nas X seemingly came out as gay.
The performer — who shot to stardom with the country-rap hit "Old Town Road," which has held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for weeks — asked his followers to listen to his new song, “c7osure,” in which he alludes to his sexuality.
In a message Sunday that included a rainbow emoji, Lil Nas X tweeted: “some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm [f--k with me] no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure"
In the song, Lil Nas X explains that he is tired of hiding who he is.
“Ain't no more actin', man that forecast say I should just let me grow \ No more red light for me, baby, only green, I gotta go \ Pack my past up in the back, oh, let my future take a hold \ This is what I gotta do, can't be regretting when I'm old,” he sings.
Lil Nas X followed that message with a tweet of his album cover, zooming into a rainbow building in the image. “deada-- thought i made it obvious,” he wrote.
The rapper's sexuality shot into the spotlight in late June after he released the song “Rodeo” with Cardi B on his EP record “7.”
Before finding success in music, Lil Nas X reportedly had a sizable following as a Nicki Minaj super fan, or "stan." Minaj fans, also known as "barbz," are infamous for defending the pop singer on social media, especially in her feud with fellow performer Cardi B. The so-called barbz were upset Lil Nas X collaborated with Minaj's nemesis and began resurfacing old posts related to the rapper's sexuality, drawing scrutiny from others online who said they should let Lil Nas X address his sexuality on his own terms.
On Sunday, it appears Lil Nas X put the rumors to rest, but this isn't the first time he has faced scrutiny over his identity. In March, Billboard removed “Old Town Road” from its country music charts, saying the song lacked "elements of today's country music in its current version" in a move many decried as racist.
Representatives of Lil Nas X had no further comment.
