AS NEW MUSIC launches go, the arrival of Lil Nas X’s “J Christ” single and video earlier this month was hardly blessed. The artwork that adorned the single — Lil Nas X strapped to a cross and being hoisted up by five people, an apocalyptic sky behind them — led to a predictable uproar from the religious front. So much so, in fact, that Lil Nas X posted a video on his socials explaining the imagery (“It was literally me saying I’m back like Jesus”) and apologizing for offending anyone with the song’s accompanying, pretty devilish video, which is jammed with crucifixion imagery and an incongruous allusion to Noah.

Was the single cover for “J Christ” ridiculous, over the top, and begging for controversy? No doubt. But now that it’s been two weeks since all hell broke loose, we can’t say we’re not mesmerized by the artwork. And in that regard, Lil Nas X got at least one thing right: He helped further the ongoing renaissance of musical cover art.

Starting with the lavish painting on his debut album Montero — that psychedelic ancient-temple landscape with a nude Lil Nas X floating in the middle — and now its follow-up, the rapper shows he’s keenly aware that album art is a unique and powerful form.