Taco Bell Partners Up with Rapper Lil Nas X

Fast food giant Taco Bell has taken an interesting partnership with controversial Grammy winning artist Lil Nas X.The news was announce earlier this week, revealing that Lil Nas X, a former Taco Bell employee, will be returning now as the restaurant chain’s chief impact officer.

It was five years ago that Lil Nas X worked as a cashier at an Atlanta Taco Bell, something he has referenced in the clip for his recent single “Sun Goes Down.”

Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, will collaborate with the Taco Bell brand to offer an “exclusive experience” around the upcoming release of his album “Montero.”

He will also launch new menu innovations and help make the Taco Bell guest experience “even more impactful” by tapping into his perspective, Taco Bell said.

“Lil Nas X knows the job, the experience and the culture Taco Bell creates for its fans, including its people,” said Mark King, CEO of Taco Bell.

Nas X, 22, has nearly 7 million Twitter followers and 19.6 million TikTok followers. He is also a dominant voice in the LGBTQ+ community as an openly gay black male.

“This unique partnership will deliver on more than just marketing, allowing us to tap into the genius of Lil Nas X to inspire our team members and align with our commitment to unlocking opportunities for young people,” King said.

Teaming up with Nas X represents “the zeitgeist of today’s investment landscape, with a renewed emphasis on social responsibility, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion practices,” said Sean Dunlop, equity analyst at Morningstar, to Yahoo Finance.

Lil Nas X will also teaming up with the Taco Bell Foundation to award young creatives with funding from the Live Más Scholarship.

“Corporate structures are evolving to respond to the changing environmental, social and economic dynamics shaping the industry. Such business changes are of critical importance to the continued success of companies,” Elena Philipova, director of ESG at financial data firm Refinitiv, said to Yahoo Finance.

“Customers consistently rate brand authenticity as one of the factors they consider in purchase decisions,” Dunlop added.