Lil Nas X Shared His ‘Last Few Years Have Been Pretty Difficult’ Months Before Arrest ArticlePure

Lil Nas X opened up about the “difficult” past few years he’s had months before he was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 21.

The singer was arrested after officers responded to early morning calls of a man “nude in the street” in the 1100 block of Ventura Blvd in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE.

Lil Nas X, 26, then allegedly had an incident with an officer and was booked on a charge of battery on a peace officer, the LAPD said. The “Old Town Road” rapper was then taken to the hospital for treatment and has since been discharged and booked.

Months before his arrest and hospitalization, in February, he shared a video of himself discussing new music and what’s to come. He addressed that he was being “flaky” and “all over the place.”

“These last few years were pretty difficult for me,” he said, per a video shared by a fan account on X. “They have been pretty difficult for me.”

He continued by revealing what fans can expect from his music: “I’m just now, like arriving to this place of feeling confidence in myself and what I’m doing. And I’m trying to make sure I put intention towards my music and my vision and the creativity of it all.”

Since that video, the rapper has very occasionally shared what’s going on in his personal life and opened up about his decision to step away from the spotlight. “I had to experience a mundane life,” he told PEOPLE in March.

“I jumped straight into adulthood with extreme fame around me,” he said. “So it was really nice to be just outside walking and meeting people in the streets and eating at restaurants, just even alone, spending a lot of alone time in solitude.”

The following month, the singer revealed he was facing a health concern after he was hospitalized because he “lost control of the right side” of his face. At the time, he gave his over 10 million followers a glimpse into what he was dealing with. However, Lil Nas X never shared with the public whether or not he received a diagnosis, and if so, what he was diagnosed with. 

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The rapper’s intermittent social media posts were ultimately followed by his Thursday morning arrest. The booking report indicates that he was charged with a misdemeanor and booked at 11:22 a.m.

Hours after the arrest, TMZ published photos that appeared to show the singer walking down the 1100 block of Ventura Blvd. around 4 a.m. wearing only underwear and boots.

The outlet also reported that multiple calls were made to law enforcement to report a possible overdose, though the spokesperson was unable to confirm.