Lil Nas X has shared the cover artwork for his upcoming debut album, titled Montero. Shot by Charlotte Rutherford, the colourful cover depicts the rapper naked and floating in a utopian landscape, surrounded by butterflies and classical architecture.
On Twitter, Lil Nas X explains the inspiration behind the visuals, citing John Stephens’ Genesis II artwork. He also includes a Book of Genesis quote: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
“The album art is a continuous loop,” he adds, “to represent the circle of life.”
As noted by sharp-eyed fans, the silhouette of Lil Nas X on the cover has previously featured on the back of the pink prison jumpsuits worn by the inmates in his “Industry Baby” video.
The reveal also follows Lil Nas X’s parody of Drake’s recently-shared Certified Lover Boy album art, which features 12 emojis of multiracial pregnant women (courtesy of Damien Hirst). Yesterday, August 30, Nas shared a joke Montero cover featuring 12 pregnant multiracial male emojis.
In yet another crossover, he recently teamed up with Tony Hawk on a TikTok skating video, following his comments on the double standards that saw the pair’s respective projects featuring human blood generating very different responses.
Montero is set to be released on September 17. Take a look at the new artwork below, and revisit the title track here.