Lil Nas X

Montero Lamar Hill, also known by his stage name Lil Nas X (/nɑːz/ NAHZ) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter born on April 9, 1999. He gained significant popularity with the release of his country rap single “Old Town Road”, which became the longest-running number-one song since the inception of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, staying on top for 19 weeks. At the same time, Lil Nas X revealed that he is gay, making him the only artist to come out while having a number-one record.

Following the success of “Old Town Road”, Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records to release his debut extended play (EP) 7 in 2019, which produced two follow-up singles: “Panini” and “Rodeo” (featuring Cardi B or Nas). “Panini” peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Rodeo” peaked at number 22. His debut studio album, Montero (2021), peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The album 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 “That’s What I Want”.

Lil Nas X is known for his queer visuals and social media presence and has received several 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. He was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2020 and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world the following year. In 2022, he became the youngest honoree in the Songwriters Hall of Fame after receiving the Hal David Starlight Award in May of that year.

Montero Lamar Hill was born in Lithia Springs, Georgia, on April 9, 1999. He was named after the Mitsubishi Montero. His parents divorced when he was six and he moved in with his mother and grandmother in the Bankhead Courts housing project in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta. Three years later, he moved in with his father, a gospel singer, north of the city in Austell. Although he was reluctant to leave initially, he later regarded it as an important decision, saying, “There’s so much shit going on in Atlanta—if I would have stayed there, I would have fallen in with the wrong crowd.” He began using the internet heavily around the time when memes started to become their own form of entertainment, at the age of 13.

During his teenage years, Lil Nas X spent most of his time alone and turned to creating memes on the internet. His teenage years were also marked by his struggle to accept his own homosexuality. He prayed it was just a phase, but around the age of 16 or 17, he came to terms with it. He began playing the trumpet in fourth grade and was first chair by his junior high years, but he quit out of fear of looking uncool.

Lil Nas X attended Lithia Springs High School and graduated in 2017. He then enrolled at the University of West Georgia to study computer science, but later dropped out after a year to pursue a career in music. During this time, he lived with his sister and supported himself with jobs at Zaxby’s restaurants and the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park. In September 2019, he returned to his high school to perform a surprise concert.