Everything To Know About Lil Nas X’s MONTERO Album, Collabs & Memes
Lil Nas X has taken the “Old Town Road” to the world of MONTERO. Two years after he took over the world with “Old Town Road,” the longest-running Billboard No. 1 hit of all time, the Grammy-winning rapper is finally set to release his debut studio album, MONTERO. Lil Nas started off this music era with the title track “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” which saw him brazenly putting his sexuality at the forefront. “Dear 14-year-old Montero, I wrote a song with our name in it,” he wrote in May. “I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with this secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.”
However, the song became yet another cultural phenomenon that 14-year-old Montero could’ve never predicted. The VMA-nominated music video saw Lil Nas sliding down a pole to Hell and giving Satan a lapdance, igniting thousands of Twitter memes and the anger of conservative Republicans nationwide. He even make Nike angry when he collaborated with MSCHF on “Satan Shoes,” a drop of 666 limited-edition pairs of Air Force One sneakers made with drops of blood, which resulted in a cease-and-desist order from the shoe giant.
That controversy ended up laying the groundwork for the rapper’s next single, “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow. In the “prelude” for the music video, Lil Nas X faces off against Nike prosecutors (played by himself) in court and is sentenced by the judge (also himself) to five years in Montero State Prison, where the “Industry Baby” video takes place. Now, he’s ready to bare his soul on what he promises to be an album full of bops and exploration of his sexuality.
Here’s everything to know about MONTERO.
When Is MONTERO’s Release Date?
MONTERO is scheduled to be released on Sept. 17, 2021, as announced by an album teaser posted to Twitter and the Welcome to Montero site. In the hilarious trailer, Lil Nas X plays a glow-eyed newscaster who warns viewers that a “power bottom rapper” (himself) and his “caucasian friend” (Harlow) have escaped from prison, as seen in the “Industry Baby” video. While on the run, Lil Nas sees a mysterious phone booth that draws him into the world of MONTERO.
“Creating this album has been therapy for me,” the rapper wrote to announce the news. “I’ve learned to let go of trying to control people’s perception of who i am, what i can do, and where i will be. I’ve realized the only opinion of me that really matters is my own.”
What Inspired The Album Cover?
Lil Nas X revealed the epic MONTERO album cover on Aug. 31, which sees the rapper floating naked through a utopian paradise of ancient statues, rainbow prisms, and glowing waterfalls, giving fans a deeper look at the world he created with MONTERO. The artwork is basically Lisa Frank goes to Greece, but he had a whole other set of inspirations for the design.
In a series of tweets, the rapper revealed that he was inspired by a piece by artist John Stephens entitled (Genesis II), and the Bible verse of the same name that tells how Sunday became God’s day of rest. He also said he was influenced by that meme of SpongeBob levitating from the floor with headphones on, as the rainbows open up from above.
With the amount of times that he’s used SpongeBob as both memes and a point of inspiration, the iconic sponge should just become Lil Nas X’s manager at this point.
Who Is Featured On The Tracklist?
MONTERO will include 15 songs total, with 12 new tracks joining the title track and singles “Sun Goes Down” and “Industry Baby.” But perhaps most impressively, the rapper managed to bag many A-list collaborators for the album. Aside from Harlow, MONTERO will feature Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and the legendary Elton John.
The MONTERO tracklist is as follows:
MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)
DEAD RIGHT NOW
INDUSTRY BABY (feat. Jack Harlow)
THATS WHAT I WANT
THE ART OF REALIZATION
SCOOP (feat. Doja Cat)
ONE OF ME (feat. Elton John)
LOST IN THE CITADEL
DOLLA SIGN SLIME (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)
TALES OF DOMINICA
SUN GOES DOWN
VOID
DONT WANT IT
LIFE AFTER SALEM
AM I DREAMING (feat. Miley Cyrus)
What Memes Has MONTERO Spawned?
The most important part of Lil Nas X’s MONTERO era, aside from providing vital LGBTQ representation in the rap world, is the endless memes. As perhaps the most internet-savvy artist of Gen Z, Lil Nas X designed every step of the campaign to serve as perfect meme fodder, and Twitter hasn’t disappointed. In many cases, the rapper himself was providing the memes.