KEY POINTS

  • Lil Nas X performed his hit single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" at BET Awards
  • His performance was a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time"
  • The performance marked the end of Pride Month

Lil Nas X lit up the 2021 BET Awards after ending his performance with a passionate kiss with one of his male dancers. The singer offered a fiery rendition of "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" at the award show, which was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.

His performance, which paid tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" music video, featured costumes and set pieces reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Clad in gold and backed up by a group of male dancers, Lil Nas X took on the role of a pharaoh prancing up on his throne.

The shoes were a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X
The shoes were a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X AFP / VALERIE MACON

Towards the end of his performance, Lil Nas X made out and shared a steamy kiss with one of the dancers next to him atop a staircase. The performance received a standing ovation from the crowd and drew largely positive reactions from Twitter users, including American rapper Diddy.

"Lil Nas X did that!! Be fearless!!" Diddy wrote.

Other users also commended Lil Nas X for the bold gesture just in time with the end of Pride Month, which is celebrated annually in honor of the members of the LGBTQ community.

"On the last day of #pride 2021 @LilNasX got on the #BETAwards stage and kissed another guy. If you grew up Black and gay, you know how major this is. I live for this kid," wrote Twitter user @beingbrandonlee.

Twitter user BET also tweeted about Lil Nas X’s performance, saying: "He did what needed to be done."

Before the BET Awards, Lil Nas X talked to Entertainment Tonight and described his upcoming performance as "the best one" of the night. "I can’t give you much, but it’s going to be the best one," he said. "No offense to all the other performers. Yeah. I mean it though, I mean it," he added.

Back in May, the singer performed "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" during his appearance on "Saturday Night Live," where he experienced an unexpected wardrobe malfunction and almost exposed himself on live television.

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