Lil Nas X Faces Plagiarism Claims from Sega Bodega Over 'Dreamboy' Artwork

Lil Nas X just announced his new single, Light Again! dropping this Friday, November 15. But alongside the excitement for his upcoming project Dreamboy, a new beef is brewing. British artist Sega Bodega, whose real name is Salvador Navarrete, has accused Lil Nas X of plagiarizing the artwork from his 2021 single Angel On My Shoulder.

The drama kicked off when Lil Nas X shared artwork for Dreamboy that shows him sitting in front of a vintage computer in a dark, wood-paneled room with a luminous figure behind him—eerily similar to Sega Bodega’s cover art. Sega Bodega took to X to point out the similarities, saying, “Not even trying to put a spin on it is where I’m like yeesh.”

Fans noticed that Lil Nas X had posted an Instagram Story showing Navarrete’s artwork as a reference alongside his own photo but without giving explicit credit. This didn’t sit well with Sega Bodega, who expressed his frustration:

“Can’t tell if this is a very good joke or not, because that’s literally what he did ahahah there is no credit.”

When some fans accused him of being ungrateful, he clapped back:

“‘Look he did credit you in a photo that will disappear in 24 hours forever and no name whatsoever of artist or photographer! Be grateful!’ You lot sound insane.”

Some fans are siding with Sega Bodega, accusing Lil Nas X of “stealing concept art outright” due to the striking similarities. This isn’t the first time Lil Nas X has faced such accusations. Back in 2021, his Montero (Call Me By Your Name) music video drew comparisons to FKA Twigs’ 2019 video Cellophane. Director Andrew Thomas Huang shared side-by-side clips on TikTok, captioning it, “@lilnasx take me off your mood board or hire me.” Lil Nas X later acknowledged the resemblance, calling Cellophane a “masterpiece” and stating he wasn’t aware it had inspired his team.

Despite the controversy, fans are still hyped for Light Again and the Dreamboy project. Lil Nas X described Dreamboy as more than just an album: “it’s me coping with the loss of what once was and fighting for a new world.” He also showed love to his followers, saying, “It just dawned on me how lucky I am to have all of you that still fuck with me, bc I know it isn’t always easy!”