The comeback single for the prankish rapper Lil Nas X has flopped in the best way possible: by debuting, on the Billboard Hot 100, at No. 69. “We did it boys!” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) upon news of the song’s chart placement. “We reached the funny number. be very proud of yourselves. this is our moment!”

The response was perfectly Lil Nas X—incorrigible, lovable, and a little sad. He’s been on a winning streak since 2018, when, as a previously unknown teenager, his track “Old Town Road” became the No. 1 song in the United States for a record-setting 19 weeks. Subsequent smashes, released after he took the PR risk of coming out as gay, have disproved speculation that he’d be a one-hit wonder. And although his knack for slapstick TikToks and tweets have made him a cultural jester of sorts, he also earned a Grammy Album of the Year nomination for his surprisingly solemn, emo-ish debut, Montero.

Now, however, he’s taking a loss in public. His first new song in two years, “J. CHRIST,” didn’t just fail to launch in popularity after its January 12 release. Its video—featuring Nas dressed up as sexy Jesus, sexy Moses, and sexy Noah—caused so much offense among Christians that Nas felt compelled to apologize. “I know I messed up really bad this time,” he said in a four-minute Instagram video that also addressed his marketing stunt of gorging on communion wafers. “And I can act unbothered all I want, but it’s definitely taking a mental toll on me.”