Lil Nas X poses in pregnancy photo shoot ahead of album release

The openly gay rapper's debut album is set to drop later this month and features Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and more

Lil Nas X continues to win at the internet. The openly gay rapper posed in a now-viral pregnancy photo shoot ahead of his upcoming album release.

From his boundary-pushing videos and jaw-dropping performances, Lil Nas X knows how to keep his name in the headlines. The rapper has broken the internet more times in one year than most do in their entire careers, with his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” music videos breaking records and starting conversations.

Now, just weeks ahead of his debut album, the rapper is causing a stir once again, this time with a hilarious pregnancy photo shoot dropped as a PEOPLE Magazine exclusive.

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Lil Nas X attends the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, which was broadcast live on FOX on May 27, 2021. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

In the much-buzzed about shoot, Nas X poses with a pregnant belly, with his unborn “baby” representing his upcoming album. He shared with PEOPLE that he got the inspiration for the shoot while listening to Megan Thee Stallion‘s verse on his album. The “Savage” rapper was recently announced as a feature on the album.

He shared with the magazine, “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’ so I immediately called my stylist…she was like, ‘Wow, this all comes together. Your album. Your baby.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, this is my baby, huh?’ As a joke, she was like, ‘Yeah, you should do a pregnancy shoot.'”

He continued, “I was like, ‘You know what? That’s actually brilliant. So now we have this entire thing coming out, and it’s going to be amazing.” Nas X’s had serendipitous timing as Drake released the cover of his new album, Certified Lover Boy, which features pregnant woman emojis in multiple rows. Nas X shared his version on Instagram, this time with pregnant men, however.

Speaking of the timing of Drake’s album cover release along with his photo shoot, he explained, “I was like, ‘There’s no way the universe is lining up this perfect for this to happen.”

Speaking of the album, he continued, “I guess I am the father as well as the mother. But I guess the producers who worked on it are like the dads too…or maybe uncles.”

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Lil Nas X attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images,,)

Of course, Nas X’s cheeky photoshoot has already seen backlash from some more conservative voices, including Boosie, who is constantly speaking out against the openly-gay rapper. He tweeted, “NAS X WTF U JUST DONT STOP. I THINK HES GOING TO TURN AROUND N SUCK ONE OF HIS BACK GROUND DANCERS D*CK ON NATIONAL TV #protectyours#godturninoverinhisgrave.”

Many fans instantly called out Boosie, wondering why he seems to constantly drag down Nas X. One user tweeted about the cycle Nas X is in with their haters, and why the rapper seems to be one step ahead of the game every time. One fan wrote in a tweet, “Every time ppl have a fit about Lil Nas X he goes straight to his whiteboard to cook up something that’ll piss them off even MORE. I don’t know how they haven’t realized this yet.”

In true Lil Nas X fashion, the rapper continued to poke fun at the situation and his haters. He wrote, “let me get offline, all of this negative energy is not good for the baby.” Nas X’s “baby” is due on Sept. 17, and will feature artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Elton John and more.

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