Boundary-breaking rap star Lil Nas X who burst to sudden stardom with 2019’s country hip hop song “Old Time Road” and then truly burst out as himself in “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” has his sights on new music and making a film. And down the old time road, one shouldn’t be surprised if he puts out a folk or Brazilian funk record. He is an every-which-way creative type.
“I want to drop this good-ass, fire-ass music first and then I wanna be back out there [touring],” the 24-year-old said on Saturday, September 9th, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), during a 15-minute Q&A onstage with directors Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel, following the world premiere screening of the documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero.
Nas — born Montero Lamar Hill in Georgia — later answered a fan’s question about other genres he’d like to explore, responding with “some folk music,” then, pausing to ponder what else, comes up with “Brazilian funk.” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, who was conducting the interview, also asked him if he’d ever be tempted to direct a feature film? “Oh, there’s gonna be something that’s gonna happen,” Nas said.
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The gala presentation of the doc, held at Roy Thomson Hall, started about a half-hour late, which Variety — outside for the red carpet arrivals — reported was due to a bomb threat “specifically targeted the rapper for being a Black queer artist.”
The media outlet was told “TIFF security conducted a sweep of the venue and deemed the threat “not credible.” But inside the 2630-seat theatre, the awaiting audience was none the wiser. There was no announcement, no evacuation, no obvious influx of personnel checking the hall, no bomb sniffing dogs. Everyone who entered the venue had gone through security and large bags were all manually checked.
The documentary follows the sudden star’s eight-month “Long Live Montero Tour,” including the 22 days of rehearsals leading up to the first day of his first-ever tour, from the choreography work with his dancers to costume fittings and, naturally, how to dismount from a horse prop. But what’s different is the bravery of this man in his early 20s being unapologetically himself — flamboyant, funny, insightful, honest — and his impact on his many fans to be themselves too.
He talks of planning to become a cardiovascular surgeon but feeling compelled to take a semester off college because he felt this deep knowing that he should pursue music and it would work out; of later coming out to his conservative family as gay; and of dealing with the hate he received from protesters (he has some amusing empathy for them finding their purpose too). He also admits he still struggles with being 100 percent himself around family, although in the film they all obviously love him unconditionally. The other entertaining factor about the doc is he is very funny and quick-witted.
In the Q&A, Nas said he didn’t originally want to do a documentary, explaining, “I hate people knowing about my life because then I can’t keep my whole funny persona and stuff, and now I’m all serious. But, yeah, I’m happy I did.”
He said in 10 years time, “I know future me is gonna watch this and be like, ‘What the fuck? Who is this?’ But it’s going to be like emotional. And I know 10 years from now, who knows where the hell I’ll be and how much I would change the world? I don’t know. So many hit songs and all that stuff too. Maybe married with kids and a dog [laughs] — two dogs. I already have two cats.”
For the last audience question he was asked what life advice he would give his nephew, who is in the film and shows their bond. But his advice turns out to be for anyone.
“Here’s my life advice: If you’re scared to do something, you probably should, but hear me out. Not like jump off a building. That’s stupid, but, I mean, a lot of times when you feel stuck in life, do the thing that you are most afraid to do, but you have this inner knowing inside you that you need to do that thing.
“For me,” he continued, “the first time it was like, ‘I need to make music because I want to create music and I feel like that’s gonna be my future.’ But I had this pressure to be the first person in my family to graduate college but I was like, ‘Nah, fuck that. I want to do music and I’m just about to deal with that feeling of people being disappointed in me for this ‘me time.’
“And then the second time with me coming out of the closet, that was my big fear. I was like, ‘Oh no, I wanna do this shit. ‘And then the third time, it is with the ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name).’ This video is crazy and I’m being overtly gay and this satanic stuff, but it was very important. It helped me grow. So my biggest advice is do that thing that you are most afraid to do.”
