There was a stretch when the outlook looked grim. Over the past year, amid a career lull and openly grappling with his mental health, Lil Nas X found himself detained on a street in Los Angeles, facing four felony counts that carried the possibility of jail time. Yet the charges were put on hold pending mental health treatment, and that treatment appears to be progressing well.
In a hopeful video update released in June, Montero revealed that he’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was making significant strides. While half-joking that he’s navigating life on “extreme hard mode” as a Black, gay, bipolar man, he added, “I’m doing much better. I’m feeling better. I’m creating freely, and there’s less fear in my heart. I’m just smelling the roses.” At the time, he said he was eager to return to making music soon, though the moment hadn’t arrived yet. It has now.
Lil Nas X returns today with a music video for his new single “World’s Greatest!” Entirely written by Lil Nas X and produced by C.WRAY and Steve Rusch, the track is a buoyant cross-genre pop tune that seems tailor-made for inspirational montages. “Walk by faith, not by sight” was my mom’s favorite saying, Nas notes in a statement. “As I move through life it resonates more and more.” The song is a tribute to his mother, Tameka Hill, who passed away in August. A voicemail in which she states that very phrase can be heard at the end of the video.
The “World’s Greatest!” video, directed by Phillip Youmans in Atlanta, brings together the present-day Lil Nas X and a younger version of himself. Watch below.
