Lil Nas X used to pray that being homosexual was just a phase he was going through. The one-hit wonder came out as ghey during the peak of his brief career as a chart-topping country rap star.
Nas X came out to fans in a tweet during Pride Month in June. And while he’s now proud to be out, Nas told Gayle King in an interview on CBS’ This Morning on Tuesday, that he wasn’t always so secure in his sexuality.
Telling King he “knew” when he was growing up that he was homosexual, Nas said he tried to pray the ghey away: “Especially during my teenage years, I would just pray, pray and pray,” he said. When King asked what he prayed for, he replied: “That it was a phase.”
The musician added that he’s well aware his celebrity status gave him an advantage when it came to coming out.
“Me being in this position, it’s easy for me,” he said. “But some little boy 10 miles from here, it’s not gonna be good for him.”
Nas, who was raised by his single mother and grandmother, says he is hopeful that his coming out story will help other boys going through similar situations. He told King that there’s “still a lot to be done.”
“We still have a long way to go, because it’s not like everybody is messing with me now. ‘Cause of course somebody who’s listening to me in school right now, it’s like, ‘You’re gay, cause you’re listening to him’. There’s still a lot to be done, of course. But I do believe it’s helping.”
The 20-year-old Aries is best known for a remix of his country rap hit “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. “Old Town Road” made Billboard chart history for the most weeks at No. 1.
But now the appeal of being America’s first bonafide country rap star is fading.
The Atlanta native, who was born Montero Lamar Hill, was forced to cancel 2 concerts this week due to poor ticket sales, and he announced he will take a break away from music after performing at the upcoming 94.9 Jingle Ball in San Francisco, which runs from Oct. 7 through Oct. 9.
