Lil Nas X’s video for his “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” single caused quite a stir, but one thing is no longer up for debate.
The rapper has spoken out acknowledging that his music video was inspired by FKA Twigs video for her song, “Cellophane.”
“I was not aware that the visual would serve as inspiration for those who worked on the effects of my video,” he wrote in the caption of a clip of the singer’s video on his verified Instagram account. “I want to say thank u to Twigs for calling me and informing me about the similarities between the two videos, as I was not aware they were so close.”
FKA Twigs returned the good wishes on her verified Instagram account where she posted an image of Lil Nas X and thanked him in the caption for the “gentle honest conversations and for acknowledging the inspiration cellophane gave you and your creative team in creating your iconic video!”
“I think what you have done is amazing and i fully support your expression and bravery in pushing culture forward for the queer community,” the caption read. “Legend status.”
It all started over the weekend when Andrew Thomas Huang, who directed the “Cellophane” video, retweeted a video comparison clip from a user who said Nas had taken “one too many notes” from Huang and Twigs.
Huang went on to tweet that while he is a fan of Lil Nas X, “When an artist is in a position of power (amplified with the help of major record labels, social media, PR, etc) and repurposes someone’s labor and ideas to serve their brand image, they cause harm by displacing the efforts of the artists who did the original leg work.”
The rapper acknowledged both Twigs and Huang in his posting, calling their video a “masterpiece.” And he had more words of praise for Twigs.
“i understand how hard you worked to bring this visual to life,” the caption read. “You deserve so much more love and praise.”
