musical

In the countdown to Vogue World: New York, we saw Lil Nas X hop on the subway, take a dip in the Central Park Reservoir, and play a cheeky game of telephone with Hailey Bieber, all to help spread the word ahead of tonight’s big event—and to the delight of all who tuned in, the Grammy-winning rapper was on hand, live and in person, to give a show-stopping performance.

After a night of flag-draped marathon runners, dancer, bikers popping wheelies, and guest appearances from the likes of Serena Williams, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz, Jaquel Spivey, Marcus Samuelsson and Maya Haile, Jeremy O. Harris, Erykah Badu, and a whole raft of supermodels (Shalom Harlow, Joan Smalls, Paloma Elsesser, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Precious Lee, et cetera, et cetera), Lil Nas X shut the whole thing down with a rousing performance of “Industry Baby,” clad in a silvery crop top and silver lamé trousers. Under the street lamps (and spotlights) of West 13th Street, Nas and his backup dancers put on a proper show, ultimately strutting down the cobblestone catwalk flanked by Williams, Gigi, and Bella. Dare we call him a certified fashion industry baby?
Originally published in Vogue.com
Read next: Serena Williams on Retiring from Professional Tennis and Choosing Her Family