Image: gq/Instagram
Lil Nas X has been arrested and briefly hospitalised after an altercation with police in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Los Angeles authorities.
Authorities found the 26-year-old rapper and singer walking Ventura Boulevard in the Studio City neighbourhood shortly before 6am, according to police spokesperson, Charles Miller.
Footage obtained by TMZ shows Nas dressed only in underwear and cowboy boots, telling the person filming to “not be late to the party tonight”, and to put the phone down.
Details are limited on how long the 26-year-old was walking for, and what the cause of his behaviour was.
The Call Me By Your Name rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was booked later on suspicion of misdemeanour battery after he was confronted by officers and charged at them, Miller said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.
Officers first took him to the hospital, suspecting a possible drug overdose, but he was released and taken to jail only a few hours later.
He has since been booked on suspicion of misdemeanour for obstructing an officer and is being held at Valley jail in Van Nuy.
“I was put on this earth to bring people closer together”, says Nas
Supporters of Lil Nas X have taken to social media to share their well wishes for the Grammy-award winning star, although some have speculated the incident is a PR stunt for new music.
The artist received backlash last year after releasing his single J Christ, which saw Christians and conservatives criticise him for “mocking” Christianity.
“I know this is not gonna be like an immediate shift like everybody moves forward or whatnot, but I do want my Christian fans to know that I am not against you. I was put on this earth to bring people closer together and promote love. That’s who I am. I’m not like some evil demon guy trying to destroy everybody’s values and stuff like that. That’s not me”, he said at the time.
Lil Nas is set to release his album Dreamboy later this year, dropping snippets of new music on his Instagram earlier this week.
In April, he was hospitalised after experiencing sudden facial paralysis. In a video shared to Instagram, he said he “lost control” of half his face.
