Lil Nas X is in custody after a chaotic early-morning incident in Los Angeles.
The Grammy-winning rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 21, in Studio City on misdemeanor battery charges following a series of bizarre events that ended with his hospitalization for a possible overdose. Authorities confirm he is being held without bail at Valley Jail in Van Nuys.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the situation began around 4 a.m. when multiple residents called 911 to report a man walking erratically on Ventura Boulevard.
TMZ obtained video of the 26-year-old star wandering the street nearly nude, wearing only white underwear, cowboy boots, and an orange traffic cone on his head. In the footage, Nas appears disoriented as he speaks to passersby, telling one person, “Hey, don’t be late to the party tonight,” and another, “Didn’t I ask you to put the phone down?”
When officers arrived just before 6 a.m., police say Nas“charged at officers and was detained.” LAPD spokesperson Charles Miller said that the rapper struck an officer in the face twice before being taken into custody.
Lil Nas was transported to a local hospital over concerns of an overdose. After receiving treatment, he was booked at 11:22 a.m. on Thursday for misdemeanor battery on a police officer.
He remains in custody without bail as of Thursday evening.
In the days before the arrest, fans noticed troubling behavior on Lil Nas’s Instagram account. The “Industry Baby” artist wiped his feed clean, changed his display name to “QUEEN MADELINE,” and posted strange photos and videos.
Among them were snippets of unreleased music, selfies taken in mirrors, and images of his home appearing in disarray with overturned furniture and scattered belongings. In one particularly concerning video, Hill danced in cowboy boots and a white robe while singing “I want to live” and playing a tambourine.
Worried fans filled the comments section with messages like, “I know a breakdown when I see one,” and “Is he having psychosis episodes?”
Mental health experts and social media users alike have speculated that the incident may point to a deeper psychological struggle. One Reddit user wrote: “I watched the video. He was having a psychotic break. He needs meds for sure.” Another shared their own experience with drug-induced psychosis, warning how long-lasting and devastating it can be.
Lil Nas has been open about his mental health battles in the past. In a 2020 interview with Variety, he reflected on how his grandmother’s death in 2018 left him in a difficult place emotionally.
“It turned me into a hypochondriac,” he said at the time. “I would wake up with my heart racing. It was terrifying.”
He also admitted to self-medicating with heavy marijuana use during that period.
This is not the first health scare the rapper has faced this year. In April, he revealed he had been hospitalized for partial facial paralysis but later assured fans he was recovering.
Best known for his record-breaking 2019 hit “Old Town Road” and for breaking barriers as one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ figures in music, Lil Nas X had been preparing to release his second studio album, Dreamboy, later this year.
It remains unclear how Thursday’s arrest and hospitalization may affect those plans. Representatives for the artist have not yet commented on the incident.
The case is still under investigation.
