Photo courtesy of Recording Academy
From the first week of December until mid-March, Lil Nas X was on a well-needed hiatus from social media, as he was seemingly working on tons of new music behind the scenes.
When he inevitably returned to Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, he revealed two collaborations he had in the works, one with NBA YoungBoy and another with Saucy Santana.
A few weeks into his return, it appears an entire full-length project is in the works for Nas X. During a red carpet interview at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday (April 3), he explained that he has already begun crafting his sophomore album — and that it will be more of a turn up and party atmosphere than the introspective tone of Montero.
“We’re already working on it,” he said. “Instead of giving you guys the sad (songs) about my life, it’s going to be more party. We’re going to turn up. We’re giving you summer.”
Lil Nas X at The Grammys
Along with Santana and YB, Lil Nas X has also confirmed through Twitter that he has been working with stars like Normani and close friend and former BROCKHAMPTON frontman Kevin Abstract.
Last week (April 1), he unleashed a sinister April Fool’s Day joke by pump-faking a Montero Deluxe, where he said it would include features from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Tyler the Creator and Rihanna — which would have marked her grand return to releasing music.
It is currently unclear if he has worked with any of those artists for the new project, which has begun taking shape just over six months after the September release of Montero, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and rewarded him another No. 1 song with “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”
Nas called the song with Santana titled “Down Souf Hoes” a strip club anthem, and referred to the YB collaboration simply as “for da streets.” Since his return to social media, Nas has also been posting a few snippets of unreleased songs that could land on the deluxe, including one titled “Lean On My Body,” and others that see him embrace his rapping roots rather than his recent pop displays.
Ultimately, it may have been naive of fans to believe Nas X was dropping a deluxe on April Fool’s Day, considering he said he was working on a new album instead of a deluxe in mid-March.
But, buzz surrounding an entire new concept and project, especially with assists from artists of this caliber, is bound to excite people, as Lil Nas X could potentially recapture the spotlight this summer.
