After a promotional frenzy filled with plenty of controversy, Lil Nas X is officially back like “J Christ” on the Hot 100.
Lil Nas X’s latest single “J Christ” debuted at No. 69 on the chart dated Jan. 27, and the rapper is taking that particular ranking as a milestone achievement in his career. “we did it boys! we reached the funny number,” he tweeted. “be very proud of yourselves. this is our moment!”
Jokes about the number aside, the singer made sure to properly thank his fans over on his Instagram Stories, while also giving them something to look forward to in the weeks to come. “We made it to Billboard! I don’t want y’all to think I take this for granted,” he wrote over a behind-the-scenes photo of himself at the song’s video shoot. “I appreciate you and adore you. New song next week!”
As with some of the rapper’s past work, “J Christ” caused plenty of controversy in the lead-up to its release. Using religious iconography in the promotion of both the song and video, Lil Nas X came under fire from some Christians online claiming that he was “mocking” their religion. In a video posted to his Instagram, Lil Nas explained that his song was never meant to mock anyone’s religion.
“I knew there would be some upset people simply because religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people,” he said in the clip. “But I also didn’t mean to mock — this wasn’t a f— you to the Christians. It was literally me saying I’m back like Jesus … I know given my history with the [‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’] video, anything that I do related to religion can be seen as mockery. That just was not the case with this.”
Check out Lil Nas X’s reaction to his No. 69 debut on the Hot 100 below: