From Horses In the Back to Dancing On Satan’s Lap: Lil’ Nas X’s “Montero” Ignites Controversy.

Jonathan Bartos remembers the exact moment when he saw the Little Nas X video of his new song Montero. 

“I opened up Instagram and it was all of the  Lil’ Nas X controversy, so I did some research on it,” said Bartos, “I was shocked and I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

Bartos is a dyed-in-the-wool Christian, and Nas X’s recent video, in which he dressed up as a drag queen and simulates sexual acts with the devil, rocked him to his core. 

“I was born and raised in a Romanian Christian family and church, so for me, this was something that I wasn’t okay with,” he said. 

Bartos is a youth leader at Elim Romanian church and is very involved in his church. He leads a men’s Bible study group and is also a Sunday school teacher for middle schoolers. His job at the church is to teach others about God and encourage them to get closer to him. However, as a youth leader for ages 12-18, he’s worried for his teens to see this, because he’s not sure what impression the video could make on his charges. 

“Obviously they are mature enough to handle this type of stuff, but I know that they have questions and don’t know how to react to it,” said Bartos. 

Since seeing this video, he has changed his views on the artist,  and he no longer listens to any of his music. Although he does not appreciate Lil Nas X’s actions, he says that if others like the idea and the actions he’s doing as a celebrity, then he will respect their opinion. 

Only one week after the release of his music video, Lil Nas X announced that he would be releasing a shoe with Nike. On the side of the shoe was written “Luke 10:18,” a verse about Satan falling like lightning, and included the Satanism symbol on the shoelace. 

The shoe became another controversial topic, however, teenagers disagree. The Bulldog Bark staff took a poll on their Instagram page on whether they liked the shoes or if they disagreed with them, and  88% of teenagers voted that they like the shoe, and would wear it. One of these teenagers is Jairo Aguirre, a senior at South Broward High School. 

“I’ve never been a fan of Lil Nas X, but these shoes are cool despite what everyone says about them,” he said. 

Aguirre understands why some would be offended or take the shoe, however, he feels that it is not a big deal. 

“I think Lil Nas X did all of this on purpose,” he said, “In the past two weeks, two controversies happened, and now everyone can’t stop talking about him, it’s basically a publicity stunt.”

Nike announced that the shoe was fake and that they had nothing to do with it. In fact, they sued Lil Nas X for putting their brand on the shoe. Nike was hit hard, and their social media was filled with comments saying “I’m done supporting this brand” or “you support satan.”

“I think Nike handled this the right way, Lil Nas X deserves to be sued,” said SBHS senior, Kaliana Hutiu. 

Hutiu, was also born and raised in a strict Christian family and puts her religion over everything. She took offense to the shoe, as it disrespected her religion, and made a joke out of it. 

“I don’t know what he expected to get out of his satanic actions but he’s going to get canceled soon,” said Hutiu, “Meaning that in the pop culture world, he’s going to become irrelevant because of his drama.”

Students’ opinions run the gambit, from supporting Nas X’s artistry to condemning it. Each has their opinion and is willing to share their views on this controversy. Click the pictures to see what some other students have to say….