Lil Nas X‘s father is coming to his son’s defense, saying the rapper’s very public meltdown while walking naked in Los Angeles is due to the immense pressures of the music business, according to a new report.

Robert Stafford sat down with The Sunday Times for his first interview since Nas bailed out of L.A. County jail last Monday — and he directly addressed his son’s “breakdown,” which he blames on the entertainment industry.

Stafford says he understands how the music biz works as a gospel singer and warns … “It’s like a high. When you get to that level, you want that drug again, you want to hit that high again.”

After the visit, Stafford spoke briefly to reporters in DTLA, saying Nas’ mental health was “doing great” and denied his son abused drugs. He also said Nas was remorseful and in good spirits yet plans to still get help.

As we first reported … Nas was caught on camera sashaying naked down an L.A. street in the wee hours of August 21. Nas then allegedly assaulted 3 police officers who were trying to take him into custody after receiving a report of a man possibly on drugs.