New Publication: Queer Ludonarrativity in Lil Nas X’s “Late To Da Party (F*CK BET)”

I’m pleased to announce the publication of my article, “‘You Bitches Wouldn’t Get It’: Queer Ludonarrativity in Lil Nas X’s ‘Late To Da Party (F*CK BET)” in the most recent issue of Popular Culture Studies Journal (v. 12, no. 1). This article was an invited contribution to a special issue on Queer Blackness: Non-Binary Black Representations in Post-Obama Popular Cultures, guest edited by Yannick M. Blec and Anne Crémieux.

With his 2019 breakthrough hit “Old Town Road,” rapper Lil Nas X became one of the most visible popular music artists in the U.S. He publicly came out as gay later that year through social media posts that gestured toward his work, especially lyrics for his song “C7osure” and artwork for the EP 7. While the queer content of his earlier work had proven hard to decipher, he has engaged in more explicitly queer performances since his public coming-out. “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and “INDUSTRY BABY,” for example, feature largely linear narratives that unambiguously highlight queer themes and identities.

In other music videos, though, Lil Nas X often engages with an assemblage of sounds, words, and images that rely on cartoon and video game-influenced narratives and aesthetics, resulting in a playful engagement with Black queer sexuality and “trolling” of homophobes. This approach reflects a Gen Z application of Tison Pugh’s concept of queer ludonarratology in which “queer identities can emerge from the margins of the textual game or of the ludic text into the open.” The music video for his 2022 single, “Late To Da Party (F*CK BET),” with its video game references and structure, exemplifies this narrative approach. In this article, I argue that “Late To Da Party” illustrates Lil Ns X’s use of queer ludonarratology to combat homophobia and industry gatekeeping. I demonstrate how his engagement with internet, gaming, and television cultures in hip hop reflects the shifting attitudes and aesthetics of a post-Obama generation.

You can access the article here.