“MONTERO” is not an album — it’s an experience.
Lil Nas X’s long-awaited debut album, released on Sept. 17, is catchy, fun and vulnerable. The album is divided into exciting pop songs at the beginning and heartbreaking, guitar-heavy songs as it progresses. He leaves no stone unturned as he talks about growing up in a broken home, self-hatred and suicide, and then on the flip side, gay sex, success and yearning for love. The music, the marketing and the artist himself come together to make it a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.
We can’t talk about “MONTERO” the album without first talking about Montero himself — Lil Nas X, otherwise known as Montero Lamar Hill. Lil Nas X is a master of social media and publicity, embracing in the best way the idea of “all press is good press.”
Recall last spring, when the album’s first single, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” dropped with an incredible music video that, among other things, featured him descending into hell on a stripper pole and giving Satan a lap dance. This infuriated many a conservative commentator, parent, politician, etc. He got quite a lot of bad press. So, what did he do? He sold shoes with a drop of human blood in them to promote the single (which led to a lawsuit and further enraged conservative commentators). And you know what he did with this additional bad press? Monetized it. His official merch store was selling shirts that say “I <3 JESUS AND THAT ONE PART IN THE ‘MONTERO’ MUSIC VIDEO GETS NASTY WITH THE DEVIL BECAUSE IT WAS A COOL FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION AND ART,” among other things, all of which have since sold out (I got one as soon as it dropped).
I’ve been waiting for this album to drop since 2019, when he shot up to fame with “Old Town Road” and his first EP, “7.” The buildup to the release of “MONTERO” was so exciting, and I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure if the album would live up to the hype and grand expectations that I had begun to harbor; I had no reason to worry.
The real triumph of “MONTERO” isn’t in its insanely good marketing or its commercial success. Instead, it’s the way in which Lil Nas X has poured his whole heart out for the world to see. Even in 2021, Black queer men are kept quiet or asked to hide themselves, and “MONTERO” gives a big middle finger to that idea. In “THATS WHAT I WANT,” for example, a song about wanting love, he makes it clear that it’s about another man. He also sings unapologetically about gay sex and being gay in the title track and “INDUSTRY BABY.”
The second half of the album is the most vulnerable. “SUN GOES DOWN,” first released as a single last spring, is a heartbreaking piece about how suicidal thoughts would haunt him growing up as a closeted Black kid. Lyrics include, “I wanna run away / Don’t wanna lie, I don’t wanna life, Since 10, I been feelin’ lonely / Had friends, but they was pickin’ on me / Always thinkin’ / Why my lips so big? / Was I too dark? Can they sense my fears? / These gay thoughts would always haunt me / I prayed god would take it from me / It’s hard for you when you’re fightin’ / And nobody knows it when you’re silent.”
“TALES OF DOMINICA” is about growing up in a broken home, and how “everyone becomes predictable” within it.
Those two are the ones that stuck out to me the most, but the others — “VOID” and “LIFE AFTER SALEM” especially — cut just as deep and are just as powerful.
“MONTERO” is a home run. Every single song is good, and even the sad ones make you want to dance. The features — Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Elton John and, my personal favorite, Megan Thee Stallion — are phenomenal as well. Even though they’re not necessarily a group of artists you’d think would go well together, it’s a testament to Lil Nas X’s incredible talent that he’s able to bridge the gap between genres so well.
I’m so excited to be able to witness his career grow and for him to get the recognition he deserves as, in my opinion, one of the best artists of our time. 10/10.