Lil Nas X And Nas Draw From Classic Horror And Sci-Fi Influences In The Demonic ‘Rodeo’ Video

Lil Nas X provided perhaps the biggest surprise of this year’s Grammys when he unexpectedly brought out Nas to perform “Rodeo” with him. It was the first time Lil Nas X and the legendary rapper he named himself after collaborated, and Lil Nas X quickly made the joint effort official by sharing the studio version of the remixed track.

Now, he has dropped a new video for the remix. It begins with a nod to the Saw franchise, and from there, a demonic and supernatural Lil Nas X roams town. Nas also pops up as The Matrix‘s Morpheus, offering Lil Nas X a red or blue pill.

Over the past couple days, Lil Nas started teasing a video for the track by sharing a photo of himself as a demonic-looking creature. A fan pointed out that he resembled a character from the Disney Channel Original Movie Don’t Look Under The Bed, and Lil Nas X confirmed that that was the inspiration behind his look. He later shared a series of images that appear to be sources of inspiration for the video, and the gallery included screenshots from The Matrix and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.

The video arrives months after Lil Nas X explained that his stage name is not meant to be disrespectful towards Nas, tweeting, “nas is a legend and i never meant any disrespect by my stage name. i actually might change it in the future.”

Watch Lil Nas X’s “Rodeo” video above.