Lil Nas X’s takedown of a dumb, homophobic 2Pac meme is so perfect it belongs in the Louvre
Lil Nas X debuts one of three looks at the 2021 Met Gala. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty)
Lil Nas X has proven once again that he is the ultimate troll with his hilarious response to a homophobic meme.
The widely-shared meme is a side-by-side image showing legendary rapper 2Pac on the left wearing a white suit. On the right is a picture of Lil Nas X at the MTV VMAs wearing a purple gown.
The meme says: “Rappers then and now”, suggesting that Lil Nas X has somehow brought his genre into disrepute with his iconic, gender-bending looks.
Lil Nas X has proven many times before that he’s more than capable of responding to homophobic commentary surrounding his music and image – and he did not disappoint on this occasion.
Lil Nas X responded by ‘fixing’ the meme with a nicer picture of himself
The “Industry Baby” rapper recreated the meme but replaced the picture of him with a nicer one.
“Can y’all please stop spreading this! Spread this one instead, it’s a much better angle,” he wrote.
can y’all please stop spreading this! spread this one instead, it’s a much better angle. https://t.co/YMgu7q1J1u pic.twitter.com/ZNdKwgwpOC
— MONTERO ? (@LilNasX) September 27, 2021
His hilarious response racked up more than 200,000 likes – and many fans were quick to wade into the replies to point out the multitude of problems with the original meme.
Some fans shared pictures from a photoshoot 2Pac did which showed him showering and lying seductively in a bath to point out that Lil Nas is far from the first rapper to use his sex appeal in his work.
They’re so clearly trying to get him to recreate the bathtub photoshoot, they’re not slick with it at all. pic.twitter.com/fWZlIljr3J
— industry maybe? (@ExtraMediumNasX) September 27, 2021
One fan unearthed a picture of 2Pac wearing a corset, proving once and for all that Lil Nas didn’t invent the trend – he has just expanded upon it.
Here’s Tupac in a corset. pic.twitter.com/uvTSsJi2KK
— Margot (@JackeeDaytona_) September 27, 2021
Countless people were also quick to point out that Lil Nas X is far from the first artist to break down binary gender roles. Fans replied with pictures of Prince throughout his trailblazing career, while others drew attention to the gender-bending approach of David Bowie.
All the older adults who bash @LilNasX and are so worried about their children… remember Prince? pic.twitter.com/V277J8RUsG
— liv ✍? (@livineuphoria) September 27, 2021
I remember Prince. Vividly.
I never wanted to eat an ass more…. pic.twitter.com/gicEZmI4Fh
— R3dmund ??️? (@r3dmund) September 28, 2021
Meanwhile in the 90’s… pic.twitter.com/PdiLhNgcU2
— Nayamage64 (@Simpin4Fulgrim) September 27, 2021
Basically, the moral of the story is a simple one: don’t mess with Lil Nas X. He’s funnier than you’ll ever be, and his trolling skills are unparalleled.
