Jack Harlow Responds To Not Being In Lil Nas X’s ‘Industry Plant’ Naked Shower Scene: ‘I Let The Mastermind Cook’

Jack Harlow has already been having a breakout year on his own since the release of his late 2020 project That’s What They All Say, but things got even more heated starting today. Now that he’s collaborated with Lil Nas X on their chaotic “Industry Baby” video, all bets are off. There’s one rather, ahem, steamy scene in the video where Nas and his backup dancers are twerking naked in the prison shower, and fans and foes have been wondering why Harlow wasn’t involved in that section of the clip.

Plenty of the memes about the moment have centered on the tendency for straight men to fearfully distance themselves from homosexual behavior, and the stereotype that all heteronormative men are nervous around queer male sexuality. In Harlow’s case though, that’s not what was going on at all. Seeing the conversation unfold, the young rapper took to Twitter to let everyone know exactly where he stands. “Nas wrote the whole treatment for this video and I followed his lead every step of the way,” he said. “If he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook. Honored to be apart of it.”

Classy, and hey, room for a recast in the remix right? We all know how Lil Nas X loves remixes… and the thirst for Jack Harlow in the shower is getting stronger by the second. And the follow up here from Nas X indicates that might be coming quicker than anyone thought:

Lil Nas X Twerks Nude In Jail And Brings The Chaos In His ‘Industry Baby’ Video With Jack Harlow

Lil Nas X should release his official debut album Montero at any point now, but in the meantime, the singer has graced the world with enough singles to make the wait bearable for now. There was of course the album’s lead single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which set the internet ablaze thanks to its music video, Satan Shoes, and the strong opinions some had to it all. Next came “Sun Goes Down,” a much more relaxed release that dove a bit into Lil Nas’ life, and now, the singer returns with “Industry Baby,” a track that features a guest appearance from Jack Harlow.

The new track is a boastful one that’s carried by production filled with trumpets and a hard-hitting bass supplied by Lil Nas’ frequent collaborator Take A Daytrip as well as Kanye West. Jack Harlow arrives with a verse of his own to bring the song to an end boastful bars centered on his fame and success and how some have a hard time seeing him thrive in it all. Its accompanying video sees Lil Nas staying true to himself with scenes of twerking nude in jail while he raises a bit of hell with help from Jack Harlow.

Lil Nas shared the new song days after announcing the track with a video that parodies his impending Nike lawsuit trail. The singer himself played the judge, prosecutor, defendant, and a member of the juror in the effort that proved he isn’t too worried about the result of the real-life trial.

Press play on the new track in the video above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lil Nas X Pens A Touching Letter To His Younger ‘Old Town Road’-Era Self

Lil Nas X is dropping his latest single, “Industry Baby,” tomorrow, and ahead of then, the rapper shared a letter he wrote to his 20-year-old self (he’s 22 now).

In the note, he seems to reference the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place orders, so specifically, in a super-literal sense, it appears he’s addressing himself in March and April 2020 (he turned 21 years old in the latter month), at which point his only singles were “Old Town Road,” “Panini,” and “Rodeo.” The letter reads:

“dear 20 year old montero

i wrote a song for us. i know sometimes you feel like it’s all downhill from here. i know your sexuality has made you feel like an outcast amongst your peers. i know going from having the biggest song in the world to being trapped in your apartment is weighing heavy on you. and i know if you hear the phrase ‘one hit wonder’ one more time you might combust. but i need you to keep going. i need you to realize that you have the opportunity to be the person that you needed growing up. i need you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. and i need you to remember that the only person who has to believe in YOU is YOU.

-lnx”

Check out the tweet below.

Lil Nas X Tries To Prevent ‘Industry Baby’ Video Complaints By Declaring It’s ‘Not For Your Kids’

Thanks to the universal success of “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X began his career perceived as a kid-friendly artist. That’s despite the fact the song boasts lyrics about lean, adultery, and breasts. This misconception is part of the reason why “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its Hell-set video drew a lot of backlash from parents. Now, the rapper is getting ready to release a new video for “Industry Baby,” so he’s trying to get ahead of the inevitable criticism and nip it in the bud.

On Twitter today, he offered a disclaimer about the clip, writing, “saying this in advance so y’all won’t blame me. THE INDUSTRY BABY VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUR KIDS!” A Twitter user responded, “My 2 year old loves your music how can you not make it appropriate for everyone,” to which Nas replied, “bless ur 2 year olds heart but i need to be a slut sometimes sir.”

Lil Nas X has gotten used to dealing with haters at this point, and he’s gotten quite good at it. There were complaints about his on-stage kiss at this year’s BET Awards, so he fired back by joking (probably, anyway) that his next step is to have sex on stage.

Lil Nas X Tries To Prevent ‘Industry Baby’ Video Complaints By Declaring It’s ‘Not For Your Kids’

Thanks to the universal success of “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X began his career perceived as a kid-friendly artist. That’s despite the fact the song boasts lyrics about lean, adultery, and breasts. This misconception is part of the reason why “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its Hell-set video drew a lot of backlash from parents. Now, the rapper is getting ready to release a new video for “Industry Baby,” so he’s trying to get ahead of the inevitable criticism and nip it in the bud.

On Twitter today, he offered a disclaimer about the clip, writing, “saying this in advance so y’all won’t blame me. THE INDUSTRY BABY VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUR KIDS!” A Twitter user responded, “My 2 year old loves your music how can you not make it appropriate for everyone,” to which Nas replied, “bless ur 2 year olds heart but i need to be a slut sometimes sir.”

Lil Nas X has gotten used to dealing with haters at this point, and he’s gotten quite good at it. There were complaints about his on-stage kiss at this year’s BET Awards, so he fired back by joking (probably, anyway) that his next step is to have sex on stage.

Lil Nas X Lampoons His Nike Trial In The Trailer For His Jack Harlow-Featuring Single ‘Industry Baby’

Lil Nas X continues to be one of music’s most creatively hilarious trolls as he prepares to go to trial in Nike’s copyright infringement case against him. After tweeting a string of sarcastic jokes about going to jail, he shared a “livestream” of the proceedings to social media… which actually turned out to be a clever courtroom comedy sketch in which he plays a variety of characters, including a sugar daddy judge, a talkative juror, his own forgetful defense attorney, and a ruthless prosecutor.

As Lil Nas X takes the stand against himself, the prosecutor declares that “this is about much more than shoes” before asking, “Lil Nas X, are you gay?” “What does that have to do with the shoes?” Nas shoots back. “Let me rephrase the question,” he says as the prosecutor. “Do your mama know you’re gay?” Nas has no choice but to answer, “Yes.” For this “crime,” the “judge” sentences Nas to “five years in Montero Prison.” This by itself would be a hilarious lampoon of several of the debates surrounding Nas since his arrival with “Old Town Road,” but being Lil Nas X, he uses the opportunity to flip the script one last time.

The whole sketch turns out to be the trailer for his next single, “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow and produced by Kanye West and Take A Daytrip. A snippet of the song plays over the credits, which wonders, “Damn, how many roles do this n**** got?” Considering his ability to transform from a cowboy to a demented Santa to the devil, I would say: “All of them.”

Watch Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” trailer above. Pre-save the song, dropping July 29, here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lil Nas X Cracks Jokes About Going To Jail On The Day Of His ‘Satan Shoes’ Trial

Nike filed a lawsuit against Lil Nas X and MSCHF over their “Satan Shoes,” but it was reported that the parties had settled the lawsuit. However, they’re still heading to court today, and ahead of that, Lil Nas X, as he tends to do, has had jokes.

He’s been cracking jokes for the past few days, joking about potential outfits he’s going to wear to court, getting more muscular so he can look good in jail, “dropping the soap,” and other related things. Consequently, #FreeLilNasX became a trending topic on Twitter today, and shortly before the trial, the rapper tweeted, “all jokes aside i can’t believe i might be going to jail. who’s going to make mildly funny tweets about being gay while i’m away.”

He also took to TikTok yesterday to share a joke about the trial, sharing a hilarious video he captioned, “the judge tomorrow when i try to flirt with him to avoid going to jail.”

Nas wasn’t the only one getting in on the fun, as his fans shared hilarious tweets about them showing up to defend the rapper in court, what’s happening in the courtroom, and more. Check out some of the #FreeLilNasX tweets below.