Lil Nas X admitted 'last few years' were difficult before arrest

Lil Nas X revealed that the "last few years" were difficult for him months ahead of his shocking arrest in Los Angeles.

The Old Town Road hitmaker, 26, was taken into custody nearly naked after early morning calls on Thursday reported erratic behaviour in the 1100 block of Ventura Blvd in Los Angeles.

Lil Nas X, who was roaming "nude in the street," then allegedly clashed with an officer and was booked on a charge of battery on a police officer after first being hospitalised briefly, the LAPD told People Magazine.

The arrest comes only months after Lil Nas X opened up about his mental health and career challenges in a candid video shared online.

“These last few years were pretty difficult for me,” he admitted in February. “They have been pretty difficult for me.”

He explained that while he had been “flaky” and “all over the place,” he was starting to regain focus: “I'm just now, like, arriving to this place of feeling confidence in myself and what I'm doing. And I'm trying to make sure I put intention towards my music and my vision and the creativity of it all.”

In March, he further revealed that he had intentionally stepped back from the spotlight.

"I jumped straight into adulthood with extreme fame around me," he told People Magazine. "So it was really nice to be just outside walking and meeting people in the streets and eating at restaurants, just even alone, spending a lot of alone time in solitude."

The rapper has not yet publicly commented on the arrest.