“Hello? Remember me? I want to play a game,” says a scary voice on the other end of the phone at the start of “Rodeo,” the new video from Lil Nas X. From there, a mash-up of epic proportions begins. After being attacked by a punk-looking vampire, Lil Nas X goes full Nosferatu, with red eyes, sharp fangs, and pointed ears. Dancing down the street like an extra from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Lil Nas X dodges a Buffy The Vampire Slayer wannabe. His vampiric transformation takes him to an all-night convenience store (full of Cool Ranch Doritos and Estée Lauder branded blood) full of bloodsuckers. Just when things get crazy, in comes the original Nas, looking very similar to Wesley Snipes’ Blade.
Except – he’s not Blade. Nas is Morpheus, like the character from The Matrix. Offering the techno-vampiric Lil Nas X a choice between a red or blue pill, the “Old Town Road” singer naturally opts for the blood-red one. A gang of gun-wielding men in sunglasses (Agents?) shows up, but Lil Nas X does his best Keanu Reeves impression to evade their bullets. All the while, the Mariachi-themed song is playing in the back. So, for those keeping count, “Rodeo” seems to reference Saw, Thriller, A Vampire In Brooklyn, Blade, The Matrix, and Nas X’s Super Bowl commercial. Did we miss anything?
Lil Nas X gave fans a preview of this “monster mash” a day before the video’s release. In an Instagram gallery, he shared a shot of Michael Jackson on the “Thriller” video, a still from Eddie Murphy’s 1995 horror flick A Vampire In Brooklyn, a shot of the moon, a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Neo from The Matrix. He also shared a selfie from the set, which showed off his red pupils and pointed ears.
RODEO MUSIC VIDEO THIS WEEK! 🧛🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/BLzAYFa5ab
— nope (@LilNasX) February 5, 2020
i didn’t “kick” cardi off of rodeo. she couldn’t do the video. we cool tho.
— nope (@LilNasX) February 6, 2020
This version of “Rodeo” is a remix that sees Lil Nas X’s namesake take over for Cardi B. The “Bodak Yellow” singer appeared on the original version, off of Lil Nas X’s 7 ep. Lil Nas X also reassured his fans that he didn’t “kick” Cardi off the “Rodeo” shoot. “She couldn’t do the video,” he said, breaking the hearts of everyone who wanted to see Cardi do her best Akasha from Queen of the Damned impression. Despite her absence, X reassured everyone that they were “good tho.”