Lil Nas X worries people want to date him as a "stepping stone" to fame

He said: "I've honestly gotten to this point where I'm just like, okay, I hope this person actually likes me for me [and] isn't trying to use me as a stepping stone.

"I've just got to a point where it's like well, even if they are [using me], then that's a lesson learned. I can't just stop meeting people because of this fear."

Nas admitted he was also worried about "alienating" his straight fans with his single 'Montero', which features explicit references to gay sex, but ultimately decided they didn't truly support him if they felt offended by the track.

He told Entertainment Weekly: "At first I was really afraid of alienating any of my straight fans. But then it was kind of like, if they feel offended, they were never really here for me. They were here for whatever version of myself they made up in their head."

The 'Old Town Road' hitmaker used to "block" trolls on social media, but now he'd rather they "hate the s***" out of him than not mention him at all.

He said: "When I first got famous, I would block everybody.

"But now it's like, okay, cool. For me, I would rather somebody hate the

s*** out of me when they're talking about me rather than not say anything at all, because that's giving more power to my name."

And he relishes getting the chance to hit back at those who send him cruel messages.

He said: "I'm very much a chaotic, good person. I almost never want to start shooting at somebody who didn't bring it to my doorstep, you know?

But I kind of live for when somebody tries to get me and I'm ready to throw it back at them tenfold.

"Do I feel bad about it sometimes? Every now and then, but I feel less bad knowing that I didn't start it. I try to never throw stones, but if somebody throws one at me, I'm throwing an entire house."