Lil Nas X’s promotion for his latest single, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” continues with a major move. On Wednesday (April 7), the star targeted the gamer community with the announcement of his “Twerk Hero” video game, which features the recently-released song.
“MY NEW GAME ‘TWERK HERO’ IS OUT NOW!,” he tweeted. “CAN U MAKE IT THROUGH ALL LEVELS?!”
The game instructs players to hit moving arrows in an attempt to make Lil Nas twerk to “MONTERO.” It contains four different levels, each of which recreate a different scene from the song’s controversial video. The scene where the rapper rides a stripper pole to hell is included in the game.
“Twerk Hero” is Nas’ latest promo for “MONTERO.” Following the release of the song and its accompanying visual — which shows him giving the devil a lap dance — he dropped a sneaker collaboration with MSCHF. The Satanic-themed Air Max 97s designed with a drop of human blood drew as much controversy as the video but specifically caught flak from Nike, who filed a federal lawsuit against MSCHF for making the sneakers without their authorization or approval.
During a court hearing, attorneys said that the sneaker release negatively affected Nike as people who assumed they were associated with the footwear boycotted the company. A judge later granted their request for a temporary restraining order, which halted shipment and further sales of the already sold out shoes.
Despite the controversy surrounding the Satan shoes and the “MONTERO” video, Lil Nas’ marketing strategies appear to have worked out in his favor. The single recently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, prompting a reaction from the “Old Town Road” star. “I hope my haters are sad,” he tweeted. “I hope they are crying. I want your tears to fill my Grammy cup.”