Lil Nas X’s father speaks out about seeing his son in jail: “I couldn’t do anything but cry”

The father of the 26-year-old artist defended his son in an interview, saying fame and family responsibilities led to the public breakdown.

The father of “Old Town Road” singer and rapper Lil Nas X is speaking out again after his son was arrested following a mental breakdown in Los Angeles and later charged with four felonies by police. In an interview with The Sunday Times published on Friday, 56-year-old Robert Stafford described the emotional visit to see his son in jail.

“I went to visit him in jail and as soon as I walked through that door, I couldn’t do anything but cry,” Stafford told The Sunday Times. “To see my baby boy on the other side of that glass. We shed tears with each other for a minute. And I had to tell him that ‘what you’re going through is normal’.”

Lil Nas X, whose name is Montero Lamar Hill, was seen on August 21 wandering the streets of Los Angeles wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and cowboy boots. TMZ posted footage of the incident, which showed him speaking incoherently and walking with a traffic cone on top of his head. He was publicly naked at one point, according to another video from TMZ. Onlookers called the police, who took him to the hospital on suspicion that he had overdosed, and then took him into custody for allegedly charging at officers when they first came to the scene.

Hill spent four days in jail following the bizarre incident. The LAPD charged him with three felony counts of battery and one felony count of resisting an executive officer, to which Hill pleaded not guilty. When he was released after posting the $75,000 bail, he posted on his Instagram stories that the experience was “terrifying,” but that he was going to be alright. The felonies could mean up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

Stafford first told the press after Hill appeared in court that the “Industry Baby” singer was “in good spirits.”

“He’s very remorseful for what happened [and is] going to get the help that he needs,” Stafford said.  

In this new interview, Stafford is speaking more about why he believes his son had a public breakdown. He said that the pressure of fame led to it.

“I understand how the music business is,” Stafford said, referring to his experience as a gospel singer. “It’s like a high. When you get to that level, you want that drug again, you want to hit that high again.”

Lil Nas X became famous instantly with the success of his 2018 single “Old Town Road,” which he made by leasing a beat he found for $30. He was only 20 when he released the song, and it went viral on social media with a meme called the “Yeehaw Challenge.” It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent 19 weeks on the chart, launching him into superstardom. The song’s success was only aided further when Billy Ray Cyrus hopped on the remix.

To Stafford, the pressure of fame and Lil Nas X’s personal responsibilities weighed heavily on the artist, who is now 26. Stafford said Hill was not only chasing that next big hit, but he was also stressed being the provider for his family and trying to help his mother, who struggles with addiction.

Hill was apologetic following the breakdown, according to his father, recalling their conversation during his visit to the jail.

“When I went to visit he asked me to say, ‘tell everybody I’m sorry they saw me like that’. Even in that moment, he was apologising to people for something he was going through,” Stafford said.

Even with the looming case, Stafford spoke optimistically about his son.

“Hopefully, this is a turning point in his mental stability,” he said. “Sometimes God will take you through your worst moment to give you your best moment,” he said.