Okay, the MTV VMA Awards isn't quite the Grammys. 'Best Power Anthem' is arguably lesser to a 'Lifetime Achievement' gong after all. It is more fun, though. For all the prestige of a dazzling red carpet and 43 minute acceptance speeches, the Twittersphere is fed a far tastier dish in the form of young, ascendant stars with a stylist on bath salts. Lil Nas X was one such individual.
And, while the 20-year-old may seem like a welcome fit in the fluoro parade of statements and monikers with wanton capitalisation, Lil Nas X changed the rules. Pop stars may look like him. Rap stars most certainly do not.
For his big MTV entrance, a Venetian merchant of fine silks was transported to Studio 54 (thank designer Christian Cowan). We had glitter. We had ruffles. We had heels that'd happily give Dolly Parton a few extra inches. And, in a genre as hyper-masculine as hip-hop, it was a refreshing move for one of its rising frontmen.
Sure, ostentatiousness is part and parcel of the hip-hop world - but rappers don't generally look like this. For the largely male top 100, showboating comes in pre-approved shapes of tailoring or tracksuits, and an embrace of the feminine has long been considered sacrilege: you need only listen to Offset's offering to YFN Lucci's 'Boss Life' (or, indeed, the seminal sound of DMX) to understand how regressive rap can be.
But things are in flux. Young Thug's 2016 mixtape Jeffrey saw the star don a dress of a thousand ruffles for its cover art. The promotional material for Tyler, the Creator's Igor proudly displayed a distinct sense of disco androgyny. And now, we have Lil Nas X: a rapper that channels both Liberace and an acidhouse Tim McGraw for the VMA Awards, and one that publicly identified as gay earlier this year. He's the first ever artist to do so while enjoying a number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Of course, as a place that birthed his-and-hers double-denim outfits and dresses made of discounted rump steak, the VMAs are a happy home for Vegas-level ebullience. Hip-hop, perhaps less so. Thanks to 20-year-old TikTok star with a penchant for warbling country rap and Nine Inch Nails samples, though, that may well be about to change.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox
