After the release of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” rapper Lil Nas X, birth name Montero Lamar Hill, announced on Aug. 25  he was releasing his new album “MONTERO” this past Friday. Since then, fans have received one of the most interesting album release processes I’ve ever seen.

On Instagram, a short-lived trend occurred in regards to Canadian rapper Drake’s new album “Certified Lover Boy” that features many pregnant woman emojis. Instagram users created memes of the album, all the while making fun of the songs included on it. Lil Nas X also joined in on the fun, posting the same cover but with the male emoji face, which resulted in the post on Sept. 2 that featured Nas X as “pregnant.” He posed as though he was in one of those generic pregnancy photos we’ve seen time and time again, with his “little bundle of joy ‘MONTERO’” written in the caption of the post.

I was enjoying the entire narrative and found it entertaining. Lil Nas X has always been one to stir something up online. Each day, whether it was on his feed or his story, he posted something with the belly.

I have enjoyed Lil Nas X’s music for quite a while, and now I’m getting an entire album of him. I was obsessed with “CMBYN” and the video was incredible, which also sparked some very fun controversy. His latest single “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow easily became one of my favorite songs of the year. Overall, his music has gotten better over time, and my love grew for it every time I listened to it.

I was bound to listen to the album, especially knowing who was featured on it, and it left me with mixed feelings. The first track is “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” which I gravitated towards in an instant. The way Lil Nas X produces his music is mind-blowing, and his visual creativity, in regards to this song, made it all the greater. A small side note that made the song worth putting on replay was Nas X giving the devil a lap dance in the music video. 

“DEAD RIGHT NOW” is the second track and I found it to be one of my favorite songs on the album. The overall sound, with the beat and his flow, I was feeling it. The third track “Industry Baby” and fourth track “THAT’S WHAT I WANT” hit hard and I felt the energy and was in the mood the entire time. 

However, it started going downhill a bit.  “SCOOP” featuring Doja Cat wasn’t my favorite, and I wanted to skip it after getting halfway through. I think it had to do with the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of Doja Cat’s music, so her feature on the song wasn’t enjoyable either. I was ecstatic for the feature with Elton John titled “ONE OF ME” but I didn’t hear any of John, which confused me, and I had to listen to it twice to start liking it, which isn’t something I prefer with music. Its intro also sounded very similar to “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd, an aspect I pointed out the moment it started. I forgot the rest of the album, with exceptions such as “DON’T WANT IT” and his collaboration with Miley Cyrus titled “AM I DREAMING,” which weren’t super great but were far better than a lot of songs on it.

I will point out that his collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, one of my favorite artists, was the highlight of the second half of the album. Her flow, as always, was incredible and her verse was perfect. It fit the overall tone, and I loved having her and Nas on the song together. 

When it came down to it, his more upbeat, rap-centered songs were my favorites, and it had to do with how I felt listening to it. Doing homework to this album is difficult, for some good reasons and some bad. I love “Industry Baby” because it was so well produced and its beat plus Harlow’s verse made me want to dance and I felt the meaning behind the song. I couldn’t do that with a lot of the songs on the album, which upset me a little more than I was expecting.

Lil Nas X has incredible visual talent and that helps him in creating stunning music videos and gives him an amazing stage presence. He also has an incredible voice, I just wish he would use it to make better songs.