Amidst the debate between who is better, Kayne’s “Donda” or Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy,” other good albums are being given to us. One of those is Lil Nas X’s album “Montero,” released on Sept. 17.
The new album is fabulous.
That’s it. That’s the review.
But really, Lil Nas X’s album “Montero” (which is his real name, by the way) is a statement of his talent. Unlike other albums, Lil Nas X’s collection of 15 songs doesn’t fit nicely into any music category. There’s rap, there’s a classic emo song, there’s an alternative rock song and somehow it all goes together.
The album is a journey through snippets of the Lil Nas X’s life so far, with a healthy sprinkle of fun. “Scoop” and “Dolla Sign Slime” are two of those hype songs, whereas “Sun Goes Down” and “Void” are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
In usual Lil Nas X fashion, the album-release announcement video depicted him giving birth to the album, which was spectacular. Rave reviews that are still coming in. In a Times article, Kid Cudi said, “To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records — that is huge for us and for Black excellence. The way he’s unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock ‘n’ roll. He’s a true rock star.”
It’s been an interesting year for Lil Nas X between the Nike scandal, his music videos and a wave of evangelical Satanic-Panic-style backlash accusing him to be a devil worshipper (which was ludicrous, but Lil Nas X had a good laugh about it). But so far, it’s looking to be his year.