Lil Nas X is sending out a message about his BET Awards snub in a sneak peek of a new song titled “Late to Da Party” — and accompanied the preview snippet with social media messages calling out “the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community.”
In the one-minute teaser video for the song, which features YB, Lil Nas appears sitting shirtless in a car with “Late to Da Party” blasting on his speakers. “Fuck BET, fuck BET,” starts the song, which goes on with the “Montero” singer boasting about how he doesn’t need anyone to validate his success.
late to da party ft. yb
coming soon 🖕🏾 https://t.co/vMIJMvIZXZ— MonTERO (@LilNasX) June 7, 2022
In messages accompanying the teaser video, Lil Nas tweeted that the song was not “over no BET award… this is about the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community… y’all can sit and pretend all u want but imma risk it all for us.”
When at least one Twitter user wondered why Lil Nas would care about being left out by the BETs when he’s been recognized by the ostensibly more prestigious Grammys, that led the star to respond that the contrast between his reception at the two shows was all the more reason to share his point of view on feeling excluded by his community.
“This is my point exactly,” he wrote. “How can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people? Is that not crazy? Am i really tripping. … ‘Industry Baby’ is the 2nd longest running #1 song on the Billboard rap charts of all time and didn’t get a single nomination.”
this is my point exactly how can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people? is that not crazy? am i really tripping https://t.co/aE5cCRVsFm
— MonTERO (@LilNasX) June 7, 2022
talk to my team about what? industry baby is the 2nd longest running #1 song on the billboard rap charts of all time and didn’t get a single nomination https://t.co/9QR2qk4n0X
— MonTERO (@LilNasX) June 7, 2022
Just last week, Lil Nas sent out (and then quickly deleted) a sarcastic tweet expressing his frustrations at the BET Awards for not including him in this year’s nominations. He wrote, “Thank you BET awards. an outstanding zero nominations again. Black excellence!” If it wasn’t immediately evident just how seriously he was taking being left out, his protests grew more earnest.
“I just feel like Black gay ppl have to fight to be seen in this world and even when we make it to the top mfs try to pretend we are invisible,” he wrote in a second tweet.
BET released a statement regarding Lil Nas X voicing his frustrations with the organization later on Tuesday evening.
“We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a best new artist BET Award in 2020 and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice,” BET’s statement reads. “Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers and creative arts.”
“No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy. At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community,” the statement continues. “We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community.”
Nas was nominated for the BET Awards’ best new artist in 2020 but lost the title to Roddy Ricch. Among the top artists nominated for this year’s BET Awards are Doja Cat (who leads with six nominations), Drake, Ari Lennox, Silk Sonic and Kendrick Lamar.
