The inspiration? A SpongeBob meme, of course.
I think we can all agree that Lil Nas X is the face of Gen-Z music — he did grow up on stan Twitter, after all.
Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images
And, let’s be honest, he just rules the music scene regardless.
The rapper-singer’s songs are absolutely everywhere, and it’s hard to believe his debut album isn’t out yet!
Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images for iHeartMedia
And the cover art? Absolutely jaw-dropping.
Yup, that’s Lil Nas X just floating in the air in his glowing birthday suit — his body encircled by a rainbow ring.
The artist seems to hover over a lush yet futuristic nature setting. Complete with gorgeous pinks, eye-popping greens, and icy blues, he’s positioned in what looks like an ethereal Garden of Eden (fitting for his titular track, the video of which explores religious themes). In the background, we see a mountaintop and Greco-Roman arches. In the foreground, there’s a waterfall, butterflies, and mossy green land. And, if you look closely, you can see another Lil Nas X too. (Perhaps an homage to Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam?)
And another wild Lil Nas X also appears in the left-hand corner!
Lil Nas X / Via Instagram: @charlie__chops
Obviously, I’m completely here for it, and — if permitted — would write an entire dissertation on the intricacy and beauty of the cover for BuzzFeed.
Lil Nas X debuted the art a day after he hilariously trolled Drake‘s cover for Certified Lover Boy, which featured rows of pregnant women emojis. In Lil Nas X’s parody, the emojis were substituted for pregnant men.
XXL Magazine / Lil Nas X / Drake / Via Twitter: @XXL
In a tweet, the “Industry Baby” singer wrote that he was inspired by a SpongeBob meme that features the lovable sponge floating in mid-air on a multi-colored holographic background — which is just ingenious and also quite on brand for him.
Lil Nas X / Via Instagram: @charlie__chops
He also said the cover was inspired by artist John Stephens’ Genesis II, and he included a Bible verse from Genesis 2:1-2: “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.”
INSPIRATION BEHIND
“MONTERO” 🦋💕
ALBUM ART:ARTISTS: John Stephens
ART: (Genesis II)“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”
Lil Nas X / Via Instagram: @charlie__chops
Lil Nas X also teased an album tracklist, which he said will be out tomorrow. In the meantime, fans were ecstatic (and, dare I say, horny) at the album cover’s release:
Twitter: @cutzing_ / Via Instagram: @charlie__chops
And, as always, fans rejoiced at his capability of understanding the assignment.
Twitter: @cumaltura / Via Twitter: @cumaltura
Meanwhile, some fans were able to connect the dots between a silhouette on the backs of the pink jumpsuits in the “Industry Baby” video to Lil Nas X’s body on the cover.
Twitter: @WiLCOPE4 / Via Twitter: @WiLCOPE4
While others drew comparisons to Doja Cat‘s pink and purple futuristic palace in her promo art for her sophomore release Planet Her.
Twitter: @BBBYMARAJ / Via Instagram: @charlie__chops
What can I say? Great minds think alike!
And now…we wait impatiently for the tracklist!
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