Lil Nas X released his new single “J CHRIST” and its accompanying visuals last Friday (Jan. 12) It served as the rapper’s first in nearly two years, featuring heavy religious imagery.

The cover art showed him on the cross, and the music video included scenes of him as both the devil and Jesus in various Biblical settings. Following backlash from conservatives and Christians, Nas X posted a response on social media today (Jan. 15) explaining his intentions and addressing the criticisms.

He said, “I wanted to not necessarily apologize, but I wanted to explain where my head’s at and where it’s been for the past week… I knew there would be some upset people or whatnot, simply because religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people. But I also didn’t mean to mock. This wasn’t a ‘f**k you’ to you people [or] ‘f**k you to the Christians.’ It was not that.”

Nas X acknowledged the sensitivity around his past work and clarified, “And I know given my history, with the ‘Call Me By Your Name’ video, anything I do related to religion could be seen as mockery, and that was not the case with this.”

Regarding promotional footage showing him consuming communion wine and wafers, Nas X apologized. He explained, “I thought that video was going to be the video to lighten the mood. I thought that was something we all wanted to do as kids, but I didn’t understand the reality of what it is. It’s me eating the communion, which is the symbolism of Jesus’ blood and bones or something like that, I don’t remember completely. I didn’t mean it as a cannibalism thing or whatever the freak… I do apologize for that.”

Despite the controversy, Lil Nas X received unexpected support from the Church of Satan. Magister David Harris called it “fantastic.” Meanwhile, “J CHRIST” marked a new era for Nas X.

Shot in Mexico City, the visuals served as his solo directorial debut. The record is expected to appear on the “INDUSTRY BABY” rapper’s upcoming sophomore album later this year.