Lil Nas X, almost as renowned for his music as his social media wit, shared a rare somber message while discussing his fractured relationship with his mother.
In the now-deleted tweet, the 22-year-old said he has cried himself to sleep on several occasions because he feels guilty about being unable to help his mother, who he says has a drug addiction.
"I hate speaking on my personal life," the artist wrote in the tweet captured by Hot New Hip Hop. "Y'all n***as don't know how many nights I've cried myself to sleep feeling guilty because nothing I tried would help my mom."
In a 2020 interview with Variety, Lil Nas X said his mother's struggle has stood in the way of their relationship.
"She's an addict, so we don't have the closest relationship," he told the magazine. "Even trying to get her better – things didn't quite work out. But there's still love."
Last week, the artist's mother was allegedly seen in a viral video as she begged for money on the streets in Atlanta, Rolling Out reported. The video led to more backlash for Lil Nas X as people blamed him for failing to help his loved one.
"Paint me as the bad guy all you want, but at the end of the day, you don't know me outside of this internet s**t," the Grammy winner wrote in response to the backlash.
The “Old Town Road” singer also received help from his father, Robert Stafford, as he tried to defend himself.
"Despite what people say @lilnasx is the greatest kid a parent can be BLESSED with. Although his mom is in a struggle with an addiction, she's STILL a QUEEN and he goes through great lengths to make sure we're taking care of," the father of the "Old Town Road" artist wrote on Instagram. "Those who have family members and friends dealing with addiction understands that there ain't enough money you can throw at this situation to make it right. I don't usually address personal issues publicly but felt like this need to be."
The video purported to contain the singer's mother begging on the streets was first posted on the Instagram page, The Neighborhood Talk. A driver pulls up next to the woman standing on the street corner and asks her if she's the mother of Lil Nas.
The woman's response isn't audible. But the people in the car can be heard criticizing the singer, wondering why he would let his loved one stay on the street.
Despite the backlash that followed the video, there were still dozens of social media users who sided with the musician. Commenting on the Instagram clip, many people said it's very difficult to help someone with a drug addiction until they want to help themselves. Others also urged the public to stay out of the family business.
"I’m so sad that grown people still don’t know how addiction works," one person commented. "If it was so easy to just 'help' addicts, there wouldn’t be any."
