Jack Harlow, once again proving the true meaning of bestie, stepped onto Sunday’s BET Awards red carpet wearing Lil Nas X merch, showing support for his “Industry Baby” collaborator, who was notably absent from the ceremony.
After BET released their nominees on June 1, Lil Nas X immediately responded with a since-deleted tweet expressing his disappointment in his nomination snubs and a week later, dropped a preview of his song “Late to da Party,” ft. NBA Youngboy, which acted as a diss track of sorts in response to the channel’s lack of recognition. The song, which was later released on June 24, features Lil Nas X singing “f*ck BET” and the cover art shows a BET award in the toilet.
\u201cFUCK BET! FUCK BET! \ud83e\udd27\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654634977
\u201cThat new Lil Nas X and Youngboy HARD AS FUCK\u201d— Rihanna is on B7 (@Rihanna is on B7) 1656089441
An hour after posting the teaser, Lil Nas X explained in a tweet and through replies to critics that he felt his award snub represented the larger issue of homophobia within the Black community. The two-time Grammy Award winner pointed out that, given the success of his music on the Billboard charts, the BET Awards seemed adverse to his expression of queer identity.
\u201cthis not over no bet award this is about the bigger problem of homophobia in the black community, y\u2019all can sit and pretend all u want but imma risk it all for us.\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654636198
\u201cthis is my point exactly how can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people? is that not crazy? am i really tripping\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654637182
\u201clove frank and tyler to death but can we admit queer men are more respected when they do less feminine things or am i making that up?\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654646437
Noting that while he always roots for Harlow’s success, Lil Nas X clocked the inconsistency of Harlow being nominated individually, while their hit song “Industry Baby” was left off the list altogether.
\u201ctalk to my team about what? industry baby is the 2nd longest running #1 song on the billboard rap charts of all time and didn\u2019t get a single nomination\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654639531
\u201cfunny thing is industry baby was the biggest song me & jack released last year in the eligibility period but only one of us got a nomination\u201d— obamas cousin (@obamas cousin) 1654717678
On June 7, BET released a statement affirming their commitment to intersectionality in the Black community and defending the voting academy. The statement read, “We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a best new artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice.”
Still, Harlow and Lil Nas X appear unconvinced by BET’s response and Harlow, who both performed at the ceremony and was nominated for best male hip-hop artist, made sure to signal his stance with his fashion choices. Stan an iconic friendship.
Photo via Getty for BET/ Paras Griffin