Lil Nas X knows how to bring drama.
The 22-year-old “Industry Baby” singer played the red carpet VMAS 2021 at the Barclays Center on Sunday night with a typically flashy look.
Lil Nas X apparently channeled Prince with his completely purple Atelier Versace set, which featured shiny pants and an off-the-shoulder coat with a swept train.
It’s not the first time he’s made a voice gesture to the “Purple Rain” singer with his award-winning style, as he wore a snakeskin suit inspired by the ’80s at the Billboard Music Awards 2020.
This time, Twitter users compared his Jheri curl dock to that of the late musician Rick James, with a write“If Billy Porter and Rick James had a baby *, introduce Lil Nas X.”
Earlier this month, the social media-conscious star released a “baby bump,” posting a “pregnancy announcement” to mock her upcoming album, “Montero.”
This year he is vying for five trophies at the VMAs, including a nod to the night’s top prize, Video of the Year, for his much-discussed video “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”.
The skinny video, in which he gives Satan a lap dance, has also earned the category of Best Art Direction, Video for Good, Best Visual Effects and Best Direction.
After his controversial reception in March, Lil Nas X dubbed the demonic theme of the video, famously collaborating with MSCHF to sell “Satan’s Shoes” with a drop of real human blood.
While the 666 pairs of shoes flew off the shelves in less than a minute, Nike denied involvement with the evil kicks, suing the Brooklyn company for copyright infringement and demanding the destruction of sneakers .
Executor “Panini” created another Satan-inspired style after the lawsuit, collaborating on a line of t-shirts with cheeky phrases.
Lil Nas X will also perform at tonight’s awards gala alongside his “Industry Baby” collaborator, Jack Harlow. Given that his previous performances have involved smoothing out on stage and accidentally splitting his pants while dancing sticks, it’s safe to say that his red carpet look won’t be the only one sending internet to the internet.