Lil Nas X’s father, Robert Stafford, has opened up about his emotional response to the hip-hop star’s recent felony arrest.
Stafford explained to The Times that the August 21st incident in Los Angeles, in which his son was found wandering the streets in just underwear and boots before charging at police, resulting in hospitalization, was a reaction to dealing with the pressures of fame.
“I understand how the music business is,” Stafford said. “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, born Montero Lamar Hill, was eventually charged with three felony counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one felony count of resisting an executive officer. After spending a weekend in jail, he was released on $75,000 bond, with the condition that he attend drug treatment. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
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“For a 26-year-old to have to deal with what he’s dealing with — to be a breadwinner for a lot of people, the inability to change his mother’s situation and the pressure he puts on himself,” Stafford said, revealing that the singer’s mother is battling addiction, and has rejected her son’s attempts at helping her. “That can weigh heavily on your heart.”
Stafford talked about the shock of seeing his son behind bars, and that the pair “shed tears with each other for a minute,” adding that, “I had to tell him that ‘what you’re going through is normal.’ We all have breakdowns every now and then, but the difference is, yours get played out in the public eye.”
The star’s father also talked about how Lil Nas X was remorseful, especially in regards to his fans. “He asked me to say, ‘tell everybody I’m sorry they saw me like that’,” Stafford said. “Even in that moment, he was apologizing to people for something he was going through.”
Lil Nas X addressed his fans directly, getting on Instagram Stories to talk about the experience.
“Your girl is gonna be OK, y’all,” he said. “OK? She’s gonna be all right. Shit. That was fucking terrifying. That was terrifying. That was a terrifying last four days. But your girl is gonna be all right.”
Ultimately, Stafford thinks the incident can be a hard but beneficial lesson for 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.”
