Lil Nas X said Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after spending time in a rehab facility and a mental health treatment program. In a video posted to social media, the rapper and singer, whose real name is Montero Hill, said he now feels better and is working on new music.
Hill was arrested last August after reports said he attacked a police officer while walking through Los Angeles wearing only underwear and cowboy boots. This April, the more serious charges against him were dropped after a judge ordered him into a specialized mental health treatment program following the diagnosis.
“I feel a lot better,” he said, adding that when he received the bipolar diagnosis, he felt he had “basically known it for years” but did not want to admit it. “I didn’t want to take medication and I didn’t want people to look at me differently. I’m already Black and gay. Like, god... I’m living life on extreme difficulty,” he said.
He said therapy with a psychiatrist and psychologist has helped him a great deal, and that he is now “creating freely” with “less fear in my heart.” Hill also told fans he is preparing a new chapter in his career and said, “There is new music on the way.” His next album, Dreamboy, is set to be his second, after he released its first single, Light Again!, last year.
