He Has Risen: Lil Nas X Returns With New 'J. The video of Christ

Lil Nas X is back after two years in between albums — surely the musical equivalent of 40 days in the desert — with his new song, “J. Christ.” The single was released alongside a provocative video, marking the artist's solo directorial debut.

The visual opens with a flock of people climbing the ladder to heaven, including a bunch of offensive celebrity lookalikes that bear little resemblance to Taylor Swift, Barack Obama, Oprah, Kanye West and Ed Sheeran. The camera descends into the depths of hell to find the artist cooking up a cauldron of organs before returning to heaven to watch a basketball game between Lil Nas X and the devil. The video ends with him sailing in an ark through a global flood.

Lil Nas X first teased “J. Christ” earlier this week, leaning heavily into biblical/Christian imagery with the quintessential internet troll. The single was announced with a photo of Lil Nas X on a cross and a message stating that the song was “dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time!”

Additional offer included a Tik Tok of Lil Nas X dropping on wafers and wine, and a fake acceptance letter at Evangelical Christian College, Liberty University. There was also one short teaser video which hints at the opening visual.

“J. Christ” seemingly marks the beginning of a new album cycle for Lil Nas X, who dropped his successful debut LP, Montero, in 2022. This album also leaned heavily on religious imagery, albeit with much more devil worship that proved particularly controversial. He gave the devil a lap dance (then broke his neck) in the music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and tried to sell shoes containing drops of his blood. members of his team even said Rolling rock that when Lil Nas X was invited to perform at the 2021 BET Awards, they had to confirm he wasn't a “Satanist or devil worshipper.”

Along with kicking off his new somewhat Christian era, Lil Nas X is also gearing up for the release of his new concert documentary. Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero. The film premiered at the Toronto Film festival last year and is scheduled to arrive on HBO and Max on January 27. The film follows Lil Nas X on his first major tour, offering a mix of performance footage and interviews in which the artist talks about things like his rapid rise to fame and sexuality.