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Lil Nas X’s DREAMBOY. rollout is already off to a rough start. On Wednesday (Nov. 13), the rapper shared the artwork for “Light Again!” which hits streaming services on Friday (Nov. 15) at midnight.
However, ahead of its official debut, fans noticed that the cover was awfully similar to that of Sega Bodega’s “Angel On My Shoulder,” released three years prior, in 2021. The wooden walls, old computer and phantom-like person behind the two musicians were just among the few resemblances. The Irish singer himself even quote-tweeted the post, “Not even trying to put a spin on it is where I’m like, ‘Yeesh.’”
Of course, Lil Nas X later addressed the situation on his Instagram Story, where he called Sega Bodega’s version a reference. That, unfortunately, didn’t stop social media from going in, with one person writing, “Stop stealing from smaller artists.” Someone else emphasized, “I’m sure you’re a great guy, but your team is not handling this rollout [too] well.”
Lil Nas X’s original caption for the “Light Again!” cover reveal read, “It just dawned on me how lucky I am to have all of you that still f**k with me [because] I know it isn’t always easy! DREAMBOY. isn’t just an album. It’s me coping with the loss of what once was and fighting for a new world. I’m so excited to bring you on the journey.”
The forthcoming LP will serve as a long-awaited follow-up to 2021’s MONTERO. The 15-song collection contained “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” “THATS WHAT I WANT” and “INDUSTRY BABY” featuring Jack Harlow. Among the additional guest appearances on the project included Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion and Elton John. It notably notched the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart in its first week with 126,000 album-equivalent units.
So far, Lil Nas X hasn’t confirmed if January’s “J CHRIST” will make the final cut, considering all of the controversy that came with its release.