Jump to content

Lil Nas X

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Montero Hill)

Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X at the Glastonbury Festival 2023
Born
Montero Lamar Hill

(1999-04-09) April 9, 1999 (age 25)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1][2]
EducationUniversity of West Georgia (no degree)
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2015–present
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginAustell, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyLil Nas X discography
LabelsColumbia
Websitewelcometomontero.com

Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X (/nɑːz/ NAHZ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2019 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running number-one song (at 19 weeks) since the U.S. Billboard Hot 100's 1958 inception.[3] Simultaneously, he came out as gay, the only artist to do so while having a number-one record.[4]

Following the success of "Old Town Road", Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records to release his debut extended play (EP) 7 (2019), which spawned two follow-up singles⁠: "Panini" and "Rodeo" (featuring Cardi B or Nas); the former peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter peaked at number 22. His debut studio album, Montero (2021), peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and earned a nomination for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. It was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-number one singles "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and "Industry Baby" (featuring Jack Harlow), along with the top-ten single "Thats What I Want".

Known for his queer visuals and social media presence,[5][6] Lil Nas X has received numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Hip Hop Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards and two American Music Awards. "Old Town Road" ranks as the second highest-certified song in the United States—with 17 platinum certifications.[7] He was placed on Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2020, and Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world the following year.[8] He became the youngest honoree in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022 upon receiving the Hal David Starlight Award in May of that year.[9]

Early life and education

Montero Lamar Hill was born in Atlanta, Georgia on April 9, 1999.[1][2][10] He was named after the Mitsubishi Montero.[11] His parents divorced when he was six,[12] and he settled in the Bankhead Courts housing project in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta with his mother and grandmother. Three years later, he moved in with his father, a gospel singer,[12] north of the city in Austell. Although initially reluctant to leave, he later regarded it as an important decision, "There's so much shit going on in Atlanta—if I would have stayed there, I would have fallen in with the wrong crowd."[13] He started "using the Internet heavily right around the time when memes started to become their own form of entertainment"; about when he was 13.[14]

He spent much of his teenage years alone, and turned to creating memes on the internet.[12] His teenage years also saw him struggling with his coming out to himself as being gay; he prayed that it was just a phase,[15][16] but around 16 or 17 he came to accept it.[17] He began playing trumpet in the fourth grade and was first chair by his junior high years, but quit out of fear of looking uncool.[18]

Hill attended Lithia Springs High School, from which he graduated in 2017.[19] He then enrolled at the University of West Georgia, where he majored in computer science, but later dropped out after one year to pursue a music career.[20] During this time, he stayed with his sister and supported himself with jobs at Zaxby's restaurants and the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.[13] In September 2019, he revisited his high school to perform a surprise concert.[21]

Career

2015–2017: Internet personality and Nasarati

Hill said he began to isolate himself from "outside-of-class activities" during his teenage years. He spent large amounts of time online in hopes of building a following as an internet personality to promote his work, but he was unsure what to focus on creatively. In a Rolling Stone interview he stated, "I was doing Facebook comedy videos, then I moved over to Instagram, and then I hopped on Twitter ... where I really was a master. That was the first place where I could go viral."[22] He also posted short-format comedy videos on Facebook and Vine.[13]

During this period, he reportedly created and ran Nicki Minaj fan accounts on Twitter, including one called "@NasMaraj", according to a New York Magazine investigation.[23][24] In 2017, this account gained attention for its flash fiction-style interactive "scenario threads" popularized on Twitter using dashboard app TweetDeck.[25][26][23] The investigation linked @NasMaraj to the practice of "Tweetdecking", or using multiple accounts in collaboration to artificially make certain tweets go viral. The @NasMaraj account was suspended by Twitter due to "violating spam policies".[23] After the suspension of @NasMaraj, New York Magazine's investigation concluded that he subsequently opened a new account with handle "@NasMarai", and that his current Twitter account at the time was a repurposed version of that "@NasMarai" account with a changed handle.[23] After media reports linked Lil Nas X to the Minaj fan accounts, he called the reports a "misunderstanding", effectively denying having run the accounts.[27][28] However, in May 2020, Lil Nas X admitted, in a tweet, to being a fan of Minaj. He explained why he initially denied it, stating that if people knew he was a fan of hers, they would think he was gay: "People will assume if you had an entire fan page dedicated to nicki u are gay. and the rap/music industry ain't exactly built or accepting of gay men yet". On June 17, 2020, Minaj responded to Nas, tweeting "It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a barb, but I understand. Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth". Lil Nas apologized to Minaj, saying he "felt so bad, hoping u wouldn't see my denial".[29] The @NasMarai account was later mentioned in a New York Times Magazine article, which described Hill as having spent "every waking hour online, tweeting as @nasmaraj".[30] It is also referenced in the music video for "Sun Goes Down", which shows Lil Nas X's many struggles growing up as a closeted teen and embracing his sexuality; he is seen tweeting while in high school from an account named "nasmiraj" as the lyrics "I'd be by the phone, stanning Nicki morning into dawn" play.[31]

Sometime in the year 2018, Hill landed on music as a path to success, and started writing and recording songs in his closet.[12] He adopted the name Lil Nas X, which is a tribute to the rapper Nas.[32] On July 24, 2018, Lil Nas released his first mixtape Nasarati on SoundCloud, though it was not received with immediate fame; Nasarati would be removed from streaming services soon after the release of Old Town Road due to a copyright conflict and therefore would never gain significant traction.[33] In late October 2018, he happened to hear the beat that would become "Old Town Road".[12]

2018–2019: Breakthrough with "Old Town Road" and 7

Main article: Old Town Road
Lil Nas X in April 2019

On December 3, 2018, Lil Nas X released the country rap song "Old Town Road".[a] He bought the beat for the song anonymously on beat-selling platform BeatStars from Dutch producer YoungKio for $30;[46][47] it samples Nine Inch Nails' track "34 Ghosts IV" from their sixth studio album Ghosts I–IV (2008).[48] He recorded at a "humble" Atlanta studio, CinCoYo, on their "$20 Tuesdays", taking less than an hour.[49] Lil Nas X began creating memes to promote "Old Town Road" before it was picked up by TikTok users.[10][50] TikTok encourages its 500 million global users to "endless imitation", with videos generating copies usually using the same music; the "app's frantic churn of content [...] acts as a potent incubator for viral music hits."[51] Lil Nas X estimated he made about 100 memes to promote the song;[12] it went viral in early 2019 due to the #Yeehaw Challenge meme on TikTok. Millions of users posted videos of themselves dressed as a wrangler or cowgirl, with most #yeehaw videos using the song for their soundtrack. As of July 2019, these videos have been viewed more than 67 million times.[10] Another core audience tied to social media is children who are hidden in the statistics of adult listeners.[52] Quartz.com says the song certainly owes part of its success to the demographic, and notes they are attracted to the song being repetitive, easy to sing along to, and using lyrics about riding horses and tractors, which children can relate to.[52] The track debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, later climbing to number one.[53][54] It also debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart at number 19 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 36.[55] After an "intense bidding war", Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records in March 2019.[10] Billboard controversially removed the song from the Hot Country songs chart in March 2019, telling Rolling Stone:

When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is a musical composition. While "Old Town Road" incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today's country music to chart in its current version.[56]

Lil Nas X at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards

In Robert Christgau's opinion, "Taking 'Old Town Road' off the country chart strikes me as racist pure and simple, because country radio remains racist regardless of the Darius Ruckers and Kane Browns it makes room for."[57] Another Billboard spokesperson told Genius, "Billboard's decision to take the song off of the country chart had absolutely nothing to do with the race of the artist."[56] Despite being removed from the main Country Songs chart, the song charted on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, debuting at 53,[58] and peaking at 50.[59] In response, Sony Music Nashville CEO Randy Goodman told Billboard that his team started testing the song in some country radio markets, adding "it would be negligent not to look at it".[58] In May 2019, the issues of racism in country music culture came up again when Wrangler announced its Lil Nas X collection, and some consumers threatened a boycott.[60] Media outlets also noted that the song brings attention to the historic cultural erasure of African-Americans from both country music and the American frontier era.[61][62][63][64]

In an April 2019, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus was featured on a remix of "Old Town Road", the first of several.[65][b] That same month, Lil Nas X broke Drake's record for the most U.S. streams from one song in one week with 143 million streams for the week ending April 11, surpassing Drake's "In My Feelings" which had 116.2 million streams in a week in July 2018;[70] as of August 2019 it has streamed over a billion plays on Spotify alone.[12] In May 2019, the video was released and as of August 2019, has over 370 million views.[67][71] NBC News's Michael Arceneaux wrote, "In the social media age, Lil Nas X is arguably the first micro-platform crossover star."[72]

"Panini" was released as Lil Nas X's second single through Columbia Records on June 20, 2019.[73][74] It is named after the fictional cabbit bear of the same name in the animated television series Chowder,[75] and does not refer to the sandwich of the same name. In September 2019, "Panini" had its first remix released with rapper DaBaby.[76] Lil Nas X released his second extended play, titled 7, on June 21, 2019.[77][non-primary source needed][78] The EP debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.[79] On June 23, 2019, Lil Nas X performed with Cyrus at the 2019 BET Awards.[80] On June 30, Lil Nas X made his international debut at the largest greenfield festival in the world, the UK's annual Glastonbury Festival, when he and Billy Ray Cyrus made a surprise appearance and joined Miley Cyrus for the song, before performing "Panini" solo in a set seen nationally on BBC.[81] On the same day, Lil Nas X became one of the most visible Black queer male singers when he came out as gay.[82] This was especially significant for an artist in the country and hip hop genres, both of which emphasize machismo and "historically snubbed queer artists".[82][c][d] Rolling Stone premiered the Rolling Stone Top 100 in early July with three Lil Nas X songs: "Rodeo" with Cardi B at number nine; "Panini" at four; and "Old Town Road" as the first-ever number-one song on the chart.[84][e]

On August 19, 2019, Lil Nas X opened for Katy Perry at a concert Amazon held for its employees to celebrate its Prime Day sale.[85]

2020–2021: Montero

On July 7, 2020, Lil Nas X revealed that his debut album was "almost finished". He also stated that he was working on a mixtape, and invited producers to submit their beats for his new music.[86] On November 8, 2020, he announced a new single, "Holiday", which was released on November 13.[87] On Roblox, a virtual concert was held to promote Lil Nas X's single, with Lil Nas X-related items in the game's avatar shop.[88] The single debuted at 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the song's music video accumulated tens of millions of views within the first several weeks of release.

In January 2021, he released a children's book, C Is for Country.[89] The following month, he previewed his new song, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" in a Super Bowl LV commercial.[90] The song was officially released on March 26, 2021, along with an accompanying music video.[91] On the same day, Lil Nas X revealed that his debut album would be named Montero, and that it would be released in mid-2021.[92][non-primary source needed] The video prompted strong reactions. The song was seen by many as a valuable expression of queerness, though prominent conservative and Christian figures accused Lil Nas X of sacrilege and devil worship.[93][94] Despite the controversy, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lil Nas X's second chart-topping single and third top-ten single.

On March 29, 2021, Lil Nas X partnered with New York-based art collective MSCHF to release a modified pair of Nike Air Max 97s called Satan Shoes, which may be seen on Satan's feet in the music video used to promote the release of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)".[95][96] The shoes are black and red with a bronze pentagram, filled with "60cc and 1 drop of human blood". Only 666 pairs were made at a price of $1,018. Nike said they were uninvolved in the creation and promotion of the shoes and did not endorse the messages of Lil Nas X or MSCHF.[97] The company filed a trademark lawsuit against MSCHF in New York federal court. On April 1, the judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the sale and distribution of the shoes pending a preliminary injunction.[98] Lil Nas X responded to the lawsuit with a meme on Twitter showing himself as the character Squidward, homeless and asking for money.[99] Later, he released a prelude video for the song "Industry Baby", which stages a fake "Nike vs. Lil Nas X" trial in the Supreme Court, during which people discuss the Satan Shoes before condemning the singer for being gay.[100]

Following the controversies surrounding his previous song and its promotion, Lil Nas X released the more introspective single "Sun Goes Down" on May 21, 2021,[101] wherein he reflects on his struggles with bullying and coming to terms with his homosexuality in his upbringing.[102] He performed the song alongside "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" at Saturday Night Live a day later, where he suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a pole dance routine when the seam of his trousers split, leaving him unable to finish it properly.[103] On June 29, Lil Nas posted a promotional video of his debut album, ending it with Montero, the Album. He also posted a snippet of a previously teased track called "Industry Baby".[104] The song was released as a single on July 23, featuring rapper Jack Harlow, with production by Kanye West and Take a Daytrip.[105] The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the chart for the ending week of October 23, 2021, becoming Lil Nas X's fourth top-ten single and third number one.

On September 17, 2021, Montero was released, along with its fourth single, "Thats What I Want".[106][107] On October 23, 2021, Lil Nas X made a surprise appearance at Diplo's set at Electronic Daisy Carnival Las Vegas. During the appearance he performed "Industry Baby", "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", and "Old Town Road".[108]

On April 26, 2022, he announced his first concert tour, the Long Live Montero Tour. The tour was in support of Montero, and began in September 2022 and ran through January 2023.[109]

2022–present: Dreamboy and Nasarati 2 mixtape

On March 16, 2022, Lil Nas X returned from his hiatus, and teased two songs from his "almost finished" new album, "Late to da Party" featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and "Down Souf Hoes" featuring Saucy Santana.[110] He also posted a preview of the track "Lean on My Body".[111] "Late to da Party" was eventually released as a single on June 24, 2022.[112][113][114][non-primary source needed] Lil Nas X said that the album would be "something fun, something for the summertime, something for the girls to get ready and party to".[115]

On his Long Live Montero Tour, Lil Nas X performed his then-unreleased single "Star Walkin'" and the intro to "Down Souf Hoes". On September 15, 2022, Riot Games, the developers of the video game League of Legends, announced a collaboration with Lil Nas X for the 2022 League of Legends World Championship through a press release, where they also declared him to be "President of League of Legends", in what Kotaku journalist Isaiah Colbert called a publicity stunt.[116][117] The anthem for the tournament, "Star Walkin'", was released on September 22 with an accompanying animated music video.[118] He performed the song at the opening ceremony of the tournament on November 5. Additionally, a custom outfit for a playable character in the game co-designed by Lil Nas X was temporarily made available in November.[116]

On October 19, 2022, Lil Nas X invited Saucy Santana on his tour to perform the intro of "Down Souf Hoes" with an additional previously unheard verse.[119] On March 17, 2023, Lil Nas X performed an extended play of the intro of the song during his Lollapalooza Chile performance.[120]

Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, a documentary film by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[121] The premiere was delayed by roughly half an hour because of a bomb threat from a caller who supposedly targeted Lil Nas X for being a black queer artist.[122] However, according to a spokesperson for the festival, "To our knowledge, this was a general threat and not directed at the film or the artist." The threat was ultimately proven to not be credible.[123]

On January 3, 2024, Lil Nas X announced the single "J Christ", which was released on January 12.[124] His next single, "Where Do We Go Now", was released on January 26, 2024, along with the streaming release of the documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero.[125]

Lil Nas X was featured on Camila Cabello's single "He Knows" which was released on May 10, 2024.[126]

Musical style and influences

Lil Nas X's musical style has been described as hip hop,[127][128][129] pop rap,[130][131][132] country rap,[133][134][135] trap,[129] pop rock,[129] pop,[129][136] and rock.[129]

He credits LGBTQ artists Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator as inspirations and for "making it easier for me to be where I am, comfortably."[137] Lil Nas X also cites Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Drake, Miley Cyrus and Doja Cat as some of his biggest influences.[138][139][140] In 2019 he said, "I grew up off the Internet, so my influences come from all over musically." He grew up listening to hip hop artists such as Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, and Lil Uzi Vert.[141][142]

Impact

Lil Nas X's success caused him to become the first person of color and the first openly gay performer to be listed by Forbes in its annual Highest-Paid Country Acts List.[143][144] Ken Burns, who produced the PBS documentary Country Music, noted,

"Well, to me, Lil Nas X is my mic drop moment. We spend eight episodes and sixteen and a half hours talking about the fact that country music has never been one thing. ... And there's a huge African American influence, and it permeates throughout the whole story. ... And here we are in a new modern age that we're not touching, with all these classic, binary arguments about Billboard not listing ['Old Town Road'] on the country chart, and it turns out to be not just the No. 1 country hit but the No. 1 single, period, and it's by a black gay rapper! ... It just is proving that all of those cycles that we have been reporting on across the decades—all of the tensions in country music of race, class, poverty, gender, creativity versus commerce, geography—are still going on."[145]

Following the release of the music video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", several outlets praised Lil Nas X for his "unabashedly queer" visuals.[146][147][148] Variety's Adam B. Vary wrote that the video "changed everything for queer music artists", noting that some LGBT artists like Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block and Lance Bass of NSYNC sang about women while staying closeted, while others like Elton John and Ricky Martin did not explicitly sing about their sexuality.[147] He described the sexual imagery, including the pole dance, as evoking images of Madonna or Janet Jackson, without the need to hide his homosexuality.[147] The negative reception to the song and music video was characterized by Los Angeles Times and Vice as illustrating a Satanic panic and compared to past moments in popular music history, including jazz music being referred to as "the devil's music" in the early 20th century, John Lennon's comment in a 1966 interview that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus", backmasking accusations, the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen", Madonna's music video for "Like a Prayer", Lady Gaga's music videos for "Judas" and "Alejandro", and Nicki Minaj's performance of "Roman Holiday" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.[149][150]

Public image

Lil Nas X grabbing his crotch during his performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2023

Lil Nas X has been noted for his public fashions; in July 2019, Vogue noted Lil Nas X as a "master" at giving the cowboy aesthetic a glam look in his appearances and on Instagram.[151] His stylist, Hodo Musa, says he aims for items that are "electric, playful, colorful, and futuristic."[152] For his onstage look at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards he wore a cowboy motif cherry-red Nudie suit.[153] Wrangler, which is mentioned in the "Old Town Road" lyrics, has consistently sold out of Lil Nas X co-branded fashions.[154]

For the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Lil Nas X wore several outfits including a head-to-toe couture fuchsia Versace suit with a pink harness that took 700 hours to construct.[155] In July 2020, Lil Nas X modeled in a trailer video for a new skincare line by Rihanna's Fenty Beauty.[156]

In August 2021, Lil Nas X commented "Nah he tweakin" on an Instagram post about Tony Hawk selling skateboards painted with paint that contained his blood. It became a viral phenomenon for the next few days.[157][158] In 2022, he was criticized for repeatedly grabbing his genitals, and placing his microphone at the center of his crotch and swinging it around, pretending the device was his penis, during his performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[159][160]

In May 2023, Lil Nas X attended the Met Gala wearing only silver body paint, a thong, and high-heeled platform shoes, with his face covered with rhinestones. His look was inspired by the late German fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette.[161]

In the lead-up to the release of his album Montero, he hosted a fundraiser for several charities focused on AIDS/HIV prevention in the Southern US. The project raised nearly half a million dollars by March 2022.[162]

Personal life

Coming out

In early June 2019, Lil Nas X came out to his sister and father and he felt "the universe was signalling him to do so", despite his uncertainty whether his fans would stick by him or not.[12] On June 30, 2019, the last day of Pride Month, Lil Nas X came out publicly as gay.[163][164] His tweet confirmed earlier suspicions when he first indicated this in his track "c7osure". Rolling Stone noted the song "touches on themes such as coming clean, growing up and embracing one's self".[165] The next day he tweeted again, this time highlighting the rainbow-colored building on the cover art of his EP 7, with the caption reading "deadass thought i made it obvious".[166][167] He was unambiguous in an interview several days later on BBC Breakfast, where he stated that he was gay and understands that his sexuality is not readily accepted in the country or rap music communities.[168]

The response to the news was mostly positive, but also garnered a large amount of homophobic backlash on social media, to which Lil Nas X also reacted.[167][169] The backlash also came from the hip hop community, drawing attention to homophobia in hip hop culture.[169][170] In January 2020, rapper Pastor Troy made homophobic comments on the outfit Lil Nas X wore during the Grammy Awards, to which Lil Nas X responded: "Damn I look good in that pic on god."[171]

In January 2023, Lil Nas X tweeted a statement suggesting he was "a little bisexual."[172][173][174] The next day he tweeted "that was my last time coming out the closet i promise".[175][176] In November 2023, he tweeted that he was "still gay."[177]

Religion

Lil Nas X stated in September 2021 that he was an atheist "at one point," but is now "a very spiritual person in terms of the Universe, how everything works."[178] In December 2023, he wrote that he was entering his "Christian era".[179]

Politics

Lil Nas X endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 US presidential election.[180]

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X at the 2019 American Music Awards

Lil Nas X is the recipient of multiple awards including two Grammy Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Hip Hop Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards and two American Music Awards. He has also been awarded by Songwriters Hall of Fame as the youngest honoree of the Hal David Starlight Award.

Lil Nas X was the most-nominated male artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards,[181] where he ultimately won awards for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Lil Nas X is also the first openly LGBT Black artist to win a Country Music Association award[182] and the first openly LGBTQ person to win an MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year.[183] In 2021, he became the third artist, following Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift, to win an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for a video he co-directed – "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)".

Lil Nas X scored three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In early July 2019, "Old Town Road" achieved its 13th week at the top spot on the Billboard 100, becoming the first hip hop song to do so.[184][f] It is also the first song to sell 10 million copies while in the top spot.[67][184] On its 15th week at the top, Lil Nas X became the first openly gay artist to have a song last as long, overtaking Elton John's 1997 Double A-Side—where both sides of the record are promoted as hits, "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight".[4] At 19 weeks at number one, Lil Nas X holds the record for the most weeks since the chart was first introduced in 1958.[3][g] As of August 2019, the song has also charted 19 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart;[3] beating a three-way tie record.[186][h] At 19 weeks at the top of the Hot Rap Songs chart the song has also beaten a three-way tie.[3][i] By November 2019, the song was Diamond Certified, moving a combined sales and streaming 10 million units.[190]

Time named him as one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet in 2019, for his "global impact on social media" and "overall ability to drive news".[191] In 2020, he was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[8] In 2021, he appeared on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[9] On September 1, 2021, The Trevor Project announced that Lil Nas X is the recipient of its inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year award.[192]

Discography

Main article: Lil Nas X discography

Studio albums

Tours

Filmography

Lil Nas X filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2020, 2023 The Eric Andre Show Himself 2 episodes
2021 Saturday Night Live Musical guest (1 episode)
Dave Episode: "Dave"
2022–23 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder June Bug (voice) 2 episodes
2023 Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero Himself Documentary film
2023 The Bold and the Beautiful Waiter Cameo - 9000th episode[193]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Old Town Road" has been variously described by publications as a country rap,[34][35][36][37] country,[38][39][40] trap,[41][42][43] or Southern hip hop song.[44] Lil Nas X stated that he regards it as a "country trap" song.[45]
  2. ^ The single's second official remix, "Old Town Road" (Diplo Remix), was released on April 29, 2019, featuring additional production by American DJ Diplo.[66] Mid-July 2019, an official remix of "Old Town Road" was released adding rapper Young Thug, and yodeler Mason Ramsey, to Billy Ray Cyrus.[67] In late July 2019, another remix called "Seoul Town Road" was released featuring South Korean rapper RM of the boyband BTS.[68] Billboard counts all the versions of the song in the same total.[69]
  3. ^ Rap is full of gay slurs like "sus", "No homo", and "Pause" using "queerness as a punchline".[82]
  4. ^ Other notable Black queer men who gained mainstream acceptance before Lil Nas X include: Frank Ocean; Tyler, the Creator; ILoveMakonnen; Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract; and Steve Lacy.[82] Black queer women artists have been accepted more readily,[82] while the queer hip hop movement goes back to the 1990s.[83]
  5. ^ The Rolling Stone Top 100 tracks "the most popular songs of the week in the United States"; ranked by combining streams and sales, omitting radio plays.[84]
  6. ^ It surpassed three hip hop songs that were tied at twelve weeks each: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem (2002), "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas (2009), and "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (2015).[184] On its fourteenth week at the top, it was the tenth single to ever reach the mark, with Billboard noting all but two of the previous singles had been nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.[185]
  7. ^ Lil Nas X beat two songs tied at sixteen weeks for the longest time to do so; "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men (1995–1996); and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber (2017).
  8. ^ On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: at nineteen weeks it beats the three songs at eighteen weeks:
  9. ^ Three songs were tied at 18 weeks each: "Hot Boyz" by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott featuring Lil' Mo, Nas, Eve and Q-Tip (1999–2000); "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX (2014); and "Hotline Bling" by Drake (2015–2016).[189]

References

  1. ^ a b Imgur. "Lil Nas X requesting birthday change". Imgur. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "@LilNasX on Instagram". instagram.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lil Nas X hit Old Town Road makes Billboard charts history". Fox News. Associated Press. August 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Thompson, Paul (July 17, 2019). "Lil Nas X Is Strategically Closing in on History". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Wheeler, André (April 4, 2020). "Lil Nas X: 'I 100% want to represent the LGBT community'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (April 2021). "How Lil Nas X became a revolutionary queer artist for a generation". GayTimes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Andriyashchuk, Yuriy (May 31, 2023). "Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower" becomes highest certified single in US RIAA history, at 18× platinum". Hip-Hop Vibe. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. "Lil Nas X, Normani, Maluma And The 30 Under 30 Music Class Of 2020". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Sachdeva, Maanya (September 16, 2021). "Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson and Jason Sudeikis among Time 100 most influential". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Chow, Andrew R. (March 30, 2019). "Lil Nas X on 'Old Town Road' and the Billboard Controversy". Time. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Rice, Nicholas. "Lil Nas X Details Where His Birth Name Came From — and the Origin of His Stage Moniker". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Chow, Andrew R. (August 15, 2019). "'It Feels Like I'm Chosen to Do This.' Inside the Record-Breaking Rise of Lil Nas X". Time. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Eels, Josh (May 20, 2019). "Lil Nas X: Inside the Rise of a Hip-Hop Cowboy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  14. ^ Carmichael, Rodney (April 10, 2019). "Wrangler On His Booty: Lil Nas X On The Making And The Magic Of 'Old Town Road'". NPR. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  15. ^ Towle, Andy (September 30, 2019). "Lil Nas X Says He Prayed as a Teen That His Gay Inclinations Were Just a Phase: WATCH". Towleroad News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  16. ^ King, Gayle (September 30, 2019). "Lil Nas X opens up about the difficulties of coming out: "We still have a long way to go"". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  17. ^ King, Gayle (October 1, 2019). "Lil Nas X on the origins of 'Old Town Road': "The line just comes to me"". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  18. ^ "Lil Nas X Goes Undercover on Reddit, Twitter and Instagram". GQ. November 20, 2019. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. ^ Daniel, Ron (April 11, 2019). "Lithia grad Lil Nas X has top song in America". Douglas County Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  20. ^ Wheeler, Andre (April 4, 2020). "Lil Nas X: 'I 100% want to represent the LGBT community'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Naumann, Ryan (September 10, 2019). "Lil Nas X Drops By His Old High School To Give Surprise Concert". The Blast. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Nilles, Billy (August 2, 2019). "Why Lil Nas X Breaking Records Is Such a Big Deal". E!. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d Feldman, Brian (April 5, 2019). "Before 'Old Town Road,' Lil Nas X Was a Tweetdecker". New York. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  24. ^ Reinstein, Julia (April 5, 2019). "Lil Nas X Used To Be A Tweetdecker". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  25. ^ N/A, Mix (July 10, 2017). "One cryptic storyteller is using Twitter to craft thrilling interactive fiction". The Next Web. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  26. ^ Hill, Montero (August 4, 2017). "nasmaraj (u/nasmaraj)". Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019 – via Reddit.
  27. ^ Carmichael, Rodney (April 10, 2019). "Wrangler On His Booty: Lil Nas X On The Making And The Magic Of 'Old Town Road'". NPR. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  28. ^ "Lil Nas X on His Connection to Nicki Minaj Stan Account: 'It's Like a Big Misunderstanding'". Complex. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  29. ^ Curto, Justin (June 10, 2020). "Nicki Minaj Congratulates Lil Nas X on Coming Out As a Barb". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  30. ^ Hughes, Jazmine (July 7, 2021). "The Subversive Joy of Lil Nas X's Gay Pop Stardom". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  31. ^ Lil Nas X – SUN GOES DOWN (Official Video), May 20, 2021, archived from the original on July 29, 2021, retrieved July 29, 2021
  32. ^ Prahl, Amanda (July 2, 2019). "His Name Pays Tribute to a Famous Rapper". PopSugar. Group Nine Media. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  33. ^ "Lil Nas X Is Reportedly Being Sued Over A Song From His First Mixtape". UPROXX. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  34. ^ Leight, Elias (April 9, 2019). "'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X Is Officially the Number One Song in America". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  35. ^ Ivie, Devon (April 6, 2019). "Billboard Defends Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Removal from the Country Charts". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  36. ^ Caramanica, Jon (April 11, 2019). "Lil Nas X's Smash Makes Country Wonder If Rap Is Friend or Foe. Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  37. ^ Ashrawi, Sama'an. "Before 'Old Town Road': The Evolution of Country Rap Tunes". Complex. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  38. ^ Manns, Keydra. "Was Billboard Wrong to Pull 'Old Town Road' from the Country Chart?". New Jersey On-Line. Advance Local. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  39. ^ Richards, Chris. "'Old Town Road' Is a Smash. Will It Mutate into 'Baby Shark'?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  40. ^ Zemler, Emily (May 7, 2019). "Watch Lil Nas X Perform 'Old Town Road' on Desus and Mero". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  41. ^ Gillespie, Katherine. "This Billy Ray Cyrus Remix of 'Old Town Road' Slaps". PAPER Magazine. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  42. ^ Spanos, Brittany (April 5, 2019). "Song You Need to Know: Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, 'Old Town Road (Remix)'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  43. ^ Butler, Bethonie. "Billboard Tried to Fit 'Old Town Road' into a Neat Box. But That's Not How We Listen to Music Anyway". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  44. ^ Luckerson, Victor. "Lil Nas X and the Costume of Country Rap". The Ringer. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  45. ^ Yoo, Noah (March 27, 2019). "Billboard Removes Lil Nas X's Viral Song 'Old Town Road' from Country Chart". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  46. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (May 7, 2019). "How a kid from the Netherlands and a startup called BeatStars led to Old Town Road". Fast Company. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  47. ^ Pamela Engel (May 31, 2019). "Lil Nas X's country-trap hit 'Old Town Road' samples a Nine Inch Nails song — and the band might have a claim to some of the royalties". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  48. ^ Cirisano, Tatiana (March 22, 2019). "'Old Town Road' Rapper Lil Nas X Signs to Columbia Records". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  49. ^ King, Gayle (September 30, 2019). "Lil Nas X takes Gayle King inside the studio where he recorded 'Old Town Road'". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  50. ^ "Lil Nas X TikTok Stats and Analytics Summary Profile". Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  51. ^ Zhang, Cat (November 13, 2019). "The Anatomy of a TikTok Hit". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  52. ^ a b Kopf, Dan (July 29, 2019). "One secret to Old Town Road's record-breaking success? Kids are obsessed with it". Quartzy. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  53. ^ Kellner, Xander (March 13, 2019). "Spurred by a TikTok Meme, Lil Nas X Scores First Billboard Hot 100 Hit With 'Old Town Road'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  54. ^ Trust, Gary (April 8, 2019). "Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Leaps to No. 1 on the Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  55. ^ Cirisano, Tatiana (March 14, 2019). "Labels Sparring Over Rapper Lil Nas X As 'Old Town Road' Rakes In Streams: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  56. ^ a b "Billboard Removes Lil Nas X's Viral Song "Old Town Road" from Country Chart". Pitchfork. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  57. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 18, 2019). "Xgau Sez". robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  58. ^ a b "Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Debuts on Country Airplay Chart, Driven by Morning Show Spins". Billboard. April 9, 2019. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  59. ^ "Country Radio Music Chart". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  60. ^ Nittle, Nadra (June 5, 2019). "Lil Nas X isn't an anomaly — black people have always been a part of country music". Vox. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  61. ^ Sheffield, Rob (July 19, 2019). "The 'Old Town Road' Goes on Forever". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  62. ^ Ruckus, Jake Iverson (July 18, 2019). "Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" highlights the forgotten Black history of country music". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  63. ^ Weber, Jered (July 30, 2019). "The real 'Old Town Road': Lil Nas X highlights black cowboy culture across US". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  64. ^ Smith, Jordan-Marie (August 2, 2019). "Tracing Country Music's Roots Back to 17th-Century Slave Ships". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  65. ^ Sisario, Ben (April 5, 2019). "Lil Nas X Added Billy Ray Cyrus to 'Old Town Road.' Is It Country Enough for Billboard Now?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  66. ^ Angela Stefano (April 29, 2019). "Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus + Diplo Reveal Another 'Old Town Road' Remix at Stagecoach 2019 [WATCH]". The Boot. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  67. ^ a b c France, Lisa Resper (July 12, 2019). "Lil Nas X blesses us with a new 'Old Town Road' remix". CNN Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  68. ^ France, Lisa Respers (July 25, 2019). "Lil Nas X and RM of BTS drop new 'Old Town Road' remix". CNN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  69. ^ Roberts, Randall (July 12, 2019). "Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish enlist array of stars in all-out race for No. 1". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  70. ^ "Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Breaks Drake's Streaming Record!". Top40-Charts.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  71. ^ Sloan, Elizabeth (August 26, 2019). "Lil Nas X's Real Name Is Montero Lamar Hill". Heavy. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  72. ^ Arceneaux, Michael (July 14, 2019). "Lil Nas X showed Billboard and his critics that they can't tell him nothin'". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  73. ^ Saponara, Michael (June 20, 2019). "Lil Nas X Releases 'Panini' Ahead of New EP '7'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  74. ^ Williams, Aaron (June 20, 2019). "Lil Nas X Contemplates The Price Of Fame On 'Panini' From His Upcoming Debut EP". Uproxx. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  75. ^ Trammell, Kendall (June 20, 2019). "Lil Nas X's new song just made the panini far greater than a sandwich". CNN. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  76. ^ Bloom, Madison (September 13, 2019). "Lil Nas X and DaBaby Share New "Panini" Remix". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  77. ^ "Lil Nas X on Instagram: '"7" the EP! next month. ‬🤩'". Instagram. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  78. ^ "Lil Nas X: 7 EP". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  79. ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 30, 2019). "The Raconteurs Land First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Help Us Stranger'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  80. ^ BETNetworks (June 23, 2019), Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus Bring The Old Town Road To The BET Awards Live! | BET Awards 2019, archived from the original on December 25, 2021, retrieved June 24, 2019
  81. ^ Arcand, Rob (June 30, 2019). "Watch Miley Cyrus Bring Out Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus to Play 'Old Town Road' at Glastonbury". Spin (magazine). Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  82. ^ a b c d e Kennedy, Gerrick D. (July 31, 2019). "Lil Nas X came out, but has hip-hop? A macho culture faces a crossroads". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  83. ^ "Homo Hop is dead, Queer hip hop is the real deal". 429 Magazine. March 11, 2013. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013.
  84. ^ a b "RS Charts: Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Is Number One on Rolling Stone Top 100 Chart". Rolling Stone. July 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  85. ^ "Jeff Bezos shows up on stage at Amazon's epic employee concert, helps introduce Katy Perry". GeekWire. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  86. ^ Clarke, Patrick (July 7, 2020). "Lil Nas X says new album is 'almost finished' and that he's also working on a mixtape". NME. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  87. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 8, 2020). "Watch Lil Nas X announce his new single "Holiday"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  88. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (November 10, 2020). "Lil Nas X brings Old Town Road to Roblox with an elaborate virtual concert". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  89. ^ "Lil Nas X Says Children Are His Core Audience Right Now, and That's OK". NPR.org. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  90. ^ Kaufman, Gil (February 2, 2021). "Lil Nas X Previews New Song 'Montero (Call Me by Your Name)' in 2021 Super Bowl Ad: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  91. ^ "Lil Nas X Lap Dances in Hell, Gets Seduced in Garden of Eden in Trippy 'Montero' Video". Billboard. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  92. ^ ""Montero" The Album Drops This Summer!". Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  93. ^ "Lil Nas X on His Provocative New Video for "Montero"". Time. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  94. ^ Dessem, Matthew (March 29, 2021). "Conservatives Are Enraged at Lil Nas X and His 'Satan Shoes'". Slate. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  95. ^ Holland, Oscar; Palumbo, Jacqui. "Lil Nas X's unofficial 'Satan' Nikes containing human blood sell out in under a minute". CNN. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  96. ^ "Nike Sues Designer Behind Lil Nas X's "Satan Shoes"". Stereogum. March 29, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  97. ^ Kiefer, Halle (April 1, 2021). "Nike Clarifies It Doesn't Endorse Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes, Now With Human Blood". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  98. ^ "Judge Orders Lil Nas X Satan Shoes off the Market for Now". The Hollywood Reporter. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  99. ^ "Nike Is Suing The Maker Of Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes". BuzzFeed News. March 30, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  100. ^ Lil Nas X – INDUSTRY BABY (Prelude), July 19, 2021, archived from the original on May 9, 2022, retrieved May 8, 2022
  101. ^ Legaspi, Althea (May 21, 2021). "Lil Nas X Helps Struggling Younger Version of Self in 'Sun Goes Down' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021.
  102. ^ Mench, Chris (May 21, 2021). "Lil Nas X Addresses Suicidal Thoughts, Coming Out, & His History As A Barb On "Sun Goes Down"". Genius. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021.
  103. ^ Elan, Priya (May 23, 2021). "Lil Nas X's trousers split during Saturday Night Live". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021.
  104. ^ Samuel, Ruth Etiesit (June 22, 2021). "The wait is nearly over: Lil Nas X tells fans his debut album is finally coming out". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  105. ^ Romano, Nick (July 23, 2021). "Lil Nas X and his cellmates dance naked in a prison shower in new 'Industry Baby' video". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  106. ^ "Lil Nas X Gives Birth to Long-Awaited Debut Album 'Montero': Stream It Now". Billboard. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  107. ^ Langford, Jackson (September 17, 2021). "Watch Lil Nas X walk down the aisle in video for 'That's What I Want'". NME. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  108. ^ Sheckells, Melinda (October 25, 2021). "Lil Nas X, Alison Wonderland, Cooler Temps & Less Sunlight: 10 Key Moments From EDC Las Vegas 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  109. ^ Aswad, Jem (April 26, 2022). "Lil Nas X Unveils Dates for His First-Ever Tour, 'Long Live Montero'". Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  110. ^ Ruth, Wolfgang (March 16, 2022). "Lil Nas X Is Back From Maternity Leave". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  111. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 17, 2022). "Lil Nas X Strips Down (Literally) to Tease New Song 'Lean On My Body'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  112. ^ "Lil Nas X & YoungBoy Never Broke Again – Late To The Party". Sony Music Fans. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  113. ^ Rettig, James (June 24, 2022). "Lil Nas X – "Late To Da Party" (Feat. NBA YoungBoy)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  114. ^ @LilNasX (July 8, 2022). "ltdp not a lead single, who said thst" (Tweet). Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
  115. ^ Murray, Robin (June 4, 2022). "Lil Nas X Says His Second Album Is 'Something For The Summertime'". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  116. ^ a b Colbert, Isaiah (September 15, 2022). "Um, Lil Nas X Is Now President Of League Of Legends". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  117. ^ Marshall, Cass (September 15, 2022). "Lil Nas X will perform this year's League of Legends Worlds anthem, design a new skin". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  118. ^ Marshall, Cass (September 22, 2022). "Lil Nas X's new League of Legends anthem Star Walkin' comes with a mecha music video". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  119. ^ Lil Nas X performing Down Souf Hoes with Saucy Santana at YouTube Theater, October 20, 2022, archived from the original on January 29, 2023, retrieved January 29, 2023
  120. ^ Lil Nas X - Down Souf Hoes (Snippet 4), March 18, 2023, archived from the original on May 13, 2023, retrieved May 13, 2023
  121. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 18, 2023). "Lil Nas X Doc 'Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero' To World Premiere At Toronto Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  122. ^ Donnelly, Matt; Jackson, Angelique (September 10, 2023). "Lil Nas X Doc Premiere at TIFF Delayed by Bomb Threat From Homophobic Caller (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  123. ^ "Lil Nas X Doc Premiere at TIFF Delayed by Bomb Threat From Homophobic Caller (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. September 9, 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  124. ^ Trapp, Malcolm (January 3, 2024). "Lil Nas X Announces New Single And Video Dropping Next Week: "Y'all Ready For A Show?"". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  125. ^ Daw, Stephen (January 26, 2024). "Lil Nas X Is Ready for Something New on Reflective 'Where Do We Go Now': Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  126. ^ "Camila Cabello And Lil Nas X Team Up For New Single 'He Knows'". Forbes.
  127. ^ Yeung, Neil. "Lil Nas X Bio". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  128. ^ "How Lil Nas X is revolutionizing hip-hop as an empowered gay star". NBC News. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  129. ^ a b c d e Magan, Valerie (June 28, 2019). "Lil Nas X's 7 EP shows room for growth... but not much else". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  130. ^ Sidney Madden; Jonaki Mehta; Mallory Yu (September 17, 2021). "The Learning Curve Of Lil Nas X". NPR. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  131. ^ Harris, Tanner (September 20, 2021). "Album Review: Lil Nas X's 'Montero' is breaking the barriers of what pop-rap can be". The Post Athens. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  132. ^ Torres, Eric (September 20, 2021). "Lil Nas X: Montero Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  133. ^ Trammell, Kendall (July 20, 2019). "Country rap is getting bigger, and Lil Nas X is leading the way". CNN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  134. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 26, 2019). "VMAs: Lil Nas X Channels Robotic Future During "Panini" Performance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  135. ^ Jamieson, Brii (June 12, 2019). "Travis Barker Has Written A Song With Viral Country Rap Artist Lil Nas X". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  136. ^ Johnston, Maura (September 17, 2021). "Montero review: Lil Nas X sounds limitless on his debut album". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  137. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (December 1, 2020). "Lil Nas X Says Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean 'Made It Easier for Me to Be Where I Am, Comfortably'". complex.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  138. ^ "Lil Nas X Says Miley Cyrus Doesn't 'Even Realize How Much of a Legend' She Is: 'I Really Admire Her'". People. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. ...about two of his biggest inspirations
  139. ^ "Lil Nas X on 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name),' forgiving himself, and being a Barb". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  140. ^ "Lil Nas X Talks 'Montero' Album, Shawn Mendes & His Biggest Musical Impacts". Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  141. ^ Eells, Josh (May 20, 2019). "Lil Nas X: Inside the Rise of a Hip-Hop Cowboy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  142. ^ Chesman, Donna-Claire (May 16, 2019). "Lil Nas X Started Making Music Because He Was Bored". DJ Booth. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  143. ^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (November 13, 2019). "Highest-Paid Country Acts 2019: Lil Nas X Debuts; Luke Bryan Tops List". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  144. ^ Telusma, Blue (December 3, 2019). "Lil Nax X' is first openly gay Black man to make Forbes' Highest Paid Country Acts list". theGrio. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  145. ^ Willman, Chris (September 15, 2019). "Ken Burns on 'Country Music' and Why Merle, Hank, Dwight, Loretta and Lil Nas X Matter". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  146. ^ Shaffer, Claire (March 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X Shares Unabashedly Queer Video for 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  147. ^ a b c Vary, Adam B. (March 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X's Sexed-Up 'Montero' Video Has Changed Everything for Queer Music Artists". Variety. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  148. ^ Marine, Brooke (March 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X's "Montero" Is an Encouraging Note to Self". W. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  149. ^ Terry, Josh (March 29, 2021). "Lil Nas X Isn't the First Pop Star to Spark a Satanic Panic". Vice. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  150. ^ Wood, Mikael (March 29, 2021). "Lil Nas X's 'Montero' and the delight of yet another satanic panic". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  151. ^ Hahn, Rachel (July 15, 2019). "Lil Nas X Gives Cowboy Style a Very Glam Vegas Makeover". Vogue. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  152. ^ Hahn, Rachel (August 29, 2019). "Lil Nas X Takes on His Very First VMAs in Glam-Cowboy Style". Vogue. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  153. ^ Gallagher, Jacob (September 9, 2019). "From Roy Rogers to Lil Nas X: The Wild Western Story of Nudie Suits". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  154. ^ "'Old Town Road' boosts Wrangler jeans". Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  155. ^ Tracer, Daniel (January 28, 2020). "WATCH: Lil Nas X's pink leather harness look took 700 hours to make". Queerty. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  156. ^ Hou, Kathleen (July 21, 2020). "Watch Rihanna Throw a Pool Party". The Cut. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  157. ^ "Nah he tweakin: What it means and why it's all over our timelines". BBC. August 26, 2021. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  158. ^ Mahan, Logan (August 30, 2021). "Why 'Nah He Tweakin' Is Suddenly Flooding Internet Comment Sections". insidehook.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  159. ^ "Lil Nas X shocks Grammys with penis grabs, touts 'sex with a stranger'". New York Post. April 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  160. ^ "And the Grammy for Onstage Penis Grabbing Goes to Lil Nas X". Inside Hook. April 4, 2022. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  161. ^ "17 Looks That Did the Most at the Met Gala". The New York Times. May 2, 2023. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  162. ^ "Lil Nas X's 'Baby Registry' Raised Almost Half a Million Dollars for HIV Prevention in Southern States". Billboard.
  163. ^ Minsker, Evan (July 1, 2019). "Lil Nas X Comes Out as Gay". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  164. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (June 30, 2019). "Rapper Lil Nas X Seemingly Comes Out as Gay". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  165. ^ "Lil Nas X Comes Out On World Pride Day". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. July 1, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  166. ^ "Lil Nas X Comes Out as Gay". Pitchfork. July 2019. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  167. ^ a b Henderson, Cydney. "'Old Town Road' rapper Lil Nas X faces down homophobic comments after coming out". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  168. ^ "Watch: In New Interview, Rapper Lil Nas X Says He's Faced Backlash After Coming Out as Gay". EDGE Media Network. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  169. ^ a b "Lil Nas X Responds To Homophobic Comments Following Sexuality Announcement". amp.capitalxtra.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  170. ^ Marie, Aurielle. "Beyond Expectations Lil Nas X Forges a Freer, More Fluid Hip Hop". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  171. ^ "Lil Nas X Repsonds To Pastor Troy's Homophobic Rant In A Very Lil Nas X Way". Vibe (magazine). January 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  172. ^ Hill, Montero [@lilnasx] (January 9, 2023). "be fr would y'all be mad at me if i thought i was a little bisexual" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
  173. ^ "Lil Nas X Tweets About Possibly Being 'A Little Bisexual'". out.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  174. ^ "Lil Nas X Tweets About Possibly Being 'A Little Bisexual'". Yahoo! Sport. January 13, 2023. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  175. ^ Hill, Montero [@lilnasx] (January 10, 2023). "that was my last time coming out the closet i promise" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
  176. ^ Shearing, Lois (January 11, 2023). "Did Lil Nas X just come out as bisexual?". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  177. ^ Hill, Montero [@lilnasx] (November 28, 2023). "not gonna lie i wanted to reinvent myself for this next era but sadly im still gay" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
  178. ^ XXL Staff (September 28, 2021). "Lil Nas X Opens Up About His Battle for Respect in Hip-Hop". XXL. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  179. ^ Emily Brown, Lil Nas X Responds to Accusations That He's "Mocking Christianity" Archived December 22, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, relevantmagazine.com, USA, December 6, 2023
  180. ^ Dailey, Hannah (September 17, 2024). "All the Musicians Supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election". Billboard.
  181. ^ Warner, Denise (November 20, 2019). "2020 Grammy Nominees: The Complete List". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  182. ^ Bollinger, Alex (November 14, 2019). "Lil Nas X is the first openly gay black artist to win a Country Music Award". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  183. ^ Yang, Nico (August 27, 2019). "Lil Nas X Is First LGBTQ+ Musician to Win 'Song of the Year' at VMAs". Out. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  184. ^ a b c Trust, Gary (July 1, 2019). "Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Tops Hot 100 for a Hip-Hop Record 13th Week; Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello's 'Senorita' Debuts at No. 2". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  185. ^ Grein, Paul (July 8, 2019). "With 14 Weeks Atop Hot 100, Will Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Get Any Grammy Love?". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  186. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (August 1, 2019). "'Old Town Road' Is One Week Away From Beating One Of Drake's Most Important Chart Records". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  187. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singlessongs: 1942–2004. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
  188. ^ "Summer '16: Drake's 'One Dance' Set Record for Most Weeks Atop Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Won Song of the Summer Honors & More". Billboard. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  189. ^ Mendizabal, Amaya (January 25, 2016). "Drake's 'Hotline Bling' Ties Hot Rap Songs Chart Record". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  190. ^ Walker, Yvette (October 28, 2019). "Country or Hip Hop?". Medium. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  191. ^ "The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet". Time. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  192. ^ "Lil Nas X to be Honored as The Trevor Project's Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year". Billboard. September 2021. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  193. ^ "Lil Nas X, James Corden guest star on 'The Bold and the Beautiful' to celebrate its 9,000th episode". USA Today. April 18, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lil_Nas_X&oldid=1259063275"