Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X was arrested and hospitalised for a suspected overdose early Thursday morning after Los Angeles police found him wandering a busy boulevard wearing only underwear and cowboy boots.
The 26-year-old artist, whose legal name is Montero Lamar Hill, was taken into custody shortly before 6am on Ventura Boulevard in the Studio City neighbourhood after allegedly charging at responding officers.
Police spokesman Officer Charles Miller confirmed the “Old Town Road” rapper was booked on suspicion of battery on a police officer, a misdemeanour charge that could carry serious consequences for the chart-topping artist.
“Upon arrival the suspect charged at officers and was taken into custody. He was transported to a local hospital for a possible overdose and placed under arrest for battery on a police officer,” Miller told reporters.
Video footage obtained by TMZ showed the rapper strutting down the normally bustling commercial street wearing only white underwear and matching white cowboy boots, at one point placing a traffic cone on his head.
In the bizarre clips, Lil Nas X can be heard telling onlookers to “not be late for the party tonight” whilst warning one person filming, “Didn’t I tell you to put the phone down.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC News that Hill threw punches at officers, with one source claiming he struck an officer twice in the face during the confrontation.
The incident prompted officers to use force to subdue the rapper, who was subsequently handcuffed and transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation of a possible drug overdose.
After several hours of medical treatment, Lil Nas X was released from hospital and transferred to the Valley Jail facility in Van Nuys, where he remains in custody as of Thursday evening.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate records confirm the artist is being held at the facility, though bail information was not immediately available for the misdemeanour charge.
The arrest comes after concerning social media activity from the rapper in recent days, raising questions about his mental state and wellbeing amongst fans and industry observers.
On Wednesday, Lil Nas X had wiped his Instagram account clean before flooding it with seemingly random posts, including mirror selfies, unreleased music snippets, and photographs of piles of belongings in what appeared to be his home.
The artist had changed his Instagram display name to “QUEEN MADELINE” and shared collaborations with producers Lil Jon and Young Kio, the latter being his “Old Town Road” collaborator.
In at least one of the posts, he was seen wearing the same distinctive white cowboy boots he would later be spotted in during Thursday morning’s incident.
This marks the second hospitalisation for the Atlanta-born artist this year, following an April health scare when he suffered sudden partial facial paralysis.
“This is me doing a full smile right now,” he told his 10.4 million Instagram followers at the time, demonstrating his inability to control half of his face. “I can’t even laugh right.”
Though he reassured fans he would be “OK” and would just “look funny for a lil bit,” the rapper never publicly disclosed what caused the alarming medical episode.
The incident has sparked widespread concern amongst the music community, with many pointing to past statements from Lil Nas X about his struggles with fame and mental health.
In a candid 2020 interview with Variety, the artist opened up about the dark side of his meteoric rise to fame following “Old Town Road’s” record-breaking 19-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100.
“So much happened during my rise. You know, drugs and murders,” he revealed, referencing the deaths of fellow artists Nipsey Hussle, XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld.
The rapper admitted to self-medicating by “smoking heavily” and described becoming a hypochondriac after his grandmother’s death in 2018, saying he would “wake up, heart racing.”
Representatives for Lil Nas X have not responded to multiple requests for comment about Thursday’s arrest or his current condition.
The timing of the incident is particularly notable as the artist has been preparing for the release of his highly anticipated album “Dreamboy,” expected later this year.
Known for his genre-bending music and provocative artistic choices, Lil Nas X has become one of the most influential figures in contemporary pop culture.
His 2021 album “Montero” reached number two on the Billboard album chart and earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year, cementing his status beyond viral sensation.
The artist has won two Grammy Awards and become known for pushing boundaries, particularly with videos like “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” which sparked controversy with religious imagery.
Law enforcement sources suggest it remains unclear whether Thursday’s incident was related to a potential overdose or mental health crisis, with investigations ongoing.
The LAPD has confirmed they received multiple calls from concerned citizens reporting a naked man acting erratically on the street before officers arrived at the scene.
Multiple witnesses captured footage of the incident, showing Lil Nas X had been walking the shopping strip for at least 15 minutes before police intervention.
Battery on a police officer charges in California can result in jail time, fines, and probation, though sentencing varies based on the severity of the incident and other factors.
As the music world awaits further updates, the incident has reignited conversations about mental health support for young artists navigating fame in the social media age.
The rapper’s arrest adds to a troubling pattern of concerning behaviour that has left fans and industry insiders worried about his wellbeing and future.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Lil Nas X at the premiere of Long Live Montero, January 30, 2024 – by Max, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
