Lil Nas X has been making waves since he rode in on his horse five years ago by harnessing the power of the internet to create viral hits, while also disrupting genres and gender norms in his wake. After dropping out of college to focus on his music, the Atlanta-born rapper and singer had been watching social media trends and spotted an opportunity when the unusual mix of country tropes and hip-hop beats started gaining popularity. He wrote some catchy lyrics, bought a 30 US dollar (£23.
59) beat on YouTube and his debut single Old Town Road was born. The rapper, real name Montero Lamar Hill, promoted the track through a series of memes and in 2019 it went viral on TikTok with a trend which saw people dancing and lip-syncing to the song dressed in their cowboy best. The track was later turned into a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus and spent two weeks at number one in the UK and a record-breaking 19 in the US.
However, the song was later removed from Billboard’s country chart as they deemed it as “not embracing enough elements” of the genre, sparking controversy. The conversation on black artists entering in to country music gained further traction earlier this year when Beyonce released her latest album, Cowboy Carter. Ahead of dropping the country-inspired record, the singer superstar said it was born out of an experience of “not feeling welcomed” within the genre.
Many have cheered Beyonce on for continuing to break down barriers within music, Lil Nas X included. “I�.
