Lil Nas X plays an hologram, in the music video of its last title Panini, released on September 5th. The shadow of Philip K. Dick and Ridley Scott hangs over the American singer’s luminous outfits.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

It seems quite impossible nowadays for image creators to get out of the Blade Runner references, when it comes to imagining the future. Lil Nas X's Panini video, released on September 5th, is no exception, as the American singer takes the form of a bright hologram to seduce a young woman in the streets of a futuristic city.

One can not help but think about the building-sized electronic-bilboard of a geisha swallowing a pill in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, in 1982 and the hologram Joi in Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, two years ago (see below).

It is clear that Philip K. Dick’s universe  has become a source of inspiration in fashion ads and campaigns. One example amongst the others, Prada's Nylon Farm film, in 2018, where the emblematic material of the Italian label, nylon, is grown on artificial sheeps, in reference to the American writer's sci-fi novel, in 1966, Do androids dream of electric sheep? (to find out more, read this paper by Le Boudoir Numérique: "Prada under tech influences").

Influence, tribute, plagiarism or simply lack of imagination and inability to project oneself off the beaten path ..., let’s have à look at Panini music video, below.

Already on August 26, Lil Nas X had offered to the MTV Video Music Awards public, in Newark, a luminous performance, prelude  to the release of his music video Panini (to find out more, read this paper by Le Boudoir Numérique : "Fashion tech VMA’s for Missy Elliott and Lil Nas X".