When Lil Nas X first rose to stardom with “Old Town Road,” it was rumored that he was so into Nicki Minaj that he used to operate a fan account about her. That turned out to be true, although Nas wasn’t forthcoming with that information for a while because he feared being outed as gay. Now, Nas is both openly gay and openly a Minaj fan, both of which he addresses on his latest song, “Sun Goes Down.” However, the Barbz, as Minaj’s fans are called, want Nas to keep her name out of his mouth and it appears he’s going to do just that.
On the track, Lil Nas X reflects on his past, including his admiration for Nicki Minaj, rapping, “I’d be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin’ into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?” After the song was released, it seems some Barbz thought Nas was using her name for attention. The backlash was apparently severe enough for Nas to vow to stop talking about Minaj.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “to the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year. and it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.”
to the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year. and it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.
— nope
(@LilNasX) May 21, 2021
After Nas admitted he previously denied being a Barb, Minaj responded, saying that while she was initially hurt by that, she understood, writing on Twitter, “It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a barb, but I understand. Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth.”