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.”

Stafford also claims Nas is dealing with all the pressures of trying to keep up with his early success as an artist, winning 2 Grammy Awards and other accolades.

Not only that … but Stafford says Nas is the primary bread winner who is tasked with supporting his family, while also grappling with his mother’s drug addiction.

What’s more, Stafford described what it was like to visit Nas in jail, causing both to break down in tears. He said, “To see my baby boy on the other side of that glass. We shed tears with each other for a minute. And I had to tell him that ‘what you’re going through is normal.'”

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.