Lil Nas X on Love, Feeling Bad for DaBaby, and the Gay Agenda – GQ Magazine
So like in a lot of mythologies, especially Western African mythologies, there are these trickster figures: deities that create a little bit of chaos. And I feel like you’re a manifestation or reincarnation of one of those trickster figures.
I feel like that’s definitely possible. I feel like the universe is definitely using me as an instrument for a lot of shit. But it’s still honest. I mean, it’s been crazy. Like, 7 or 9 are my numbers…
When did 7 or 9 become your numbers?
The most magical thing ever happened. It was, like, around the time of “Old Town Road,” and I kept seeing the number 66. I kept seeing a number 66 everywhere—66, 66, 66. I was in an Uber; the license plate in front of me was 66. I got up for a breakfast thing: This guy in front of me had a shirt that had 66 on the back. I motherfucking got the bill for what we just paid for: 66 behind the decimal. Sat at the table, 66 for the table number. And I was like, “What the fuck, is somebody pranking me?”
And then I genuinely got scared for a second. I looked it up, like, “What the fuck does 66 mean?” I’ve always been an atheist. I was an atheist—
You are an atheist.
I was. And 66 meant, like, “You need to ground yourself, spend time with family,” and stuff like that. And I’m not going to lie, I had a plan that was like, Okay, I made it. Now I can focus fully on being what I have to be, and I’ll send my family stuff every now and then. But I wasn’t making plans to go and see them and hang out. So I started making calls. I was like, “Okay, I want to set up a family reunion.”
After that, I started seeing the number 79 everywhere. I kid you not. I called for an Uber, and every single license plate had 79 on it in front of me. Every single one. I felt lifted, like, Oh, this is definitely divine. That’s when I felt like my spiritual journey started, and that’s the reason why I came out.
So it’s 7 or 9 now. And you looked down at your phone and—
It’s always going to appear. When I got here and I pulled up, the car right in front of us had a 7 and 9. It’s like right place, right time.
Does that mean this interview is a good omen?
It just means I’m in the right place at the right time.
Was it a hard decision to bring your family into your music? Specifically, mentioning your mother in a song.
It was a difficult decision because initially, when I came into the music industry, I never wanted anything about my family life or home life to be out there. But then, as the pandemic was going on, I was kind of thinking, We’re all human beings. We all have similar experiences. I’m sure there’s somebody out there with the exact same situation as me. So I might as well open up my life. I want to build a fan base of honesty and authenticity. And I was like, I have to go there. When I feel like I shouldn’t do it, I feel like that’s when I should definitely go for it.