Lil Nas X

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]

  1. ^ Imgur. "Lil Nas X requesting birthday change". Imgur. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "@LilNasX on Instagram". instagram.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "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. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ 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.