Lil Nas X

Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X (/nɑːz/ *NAHZ*), is an American rapper and singer. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single "Old Town Road", which spent 19 weeks atop the U.S. *Billboard* Hot 100 chart, becoming the longest-running number-one song since the chart debuted in 1958. As the song was atop the Hot 100, Lil Nas X came out as gay, becoming the only artist to do so while having a number-one record.

Following the success of "Old Town Road", Lil Nas X released his debut extended play, titled *7*, which spawned two further singles⁠, with "Panini" peaking at number five and "Rodeo" (featuring Cardi B or Nas) peaking at number 22 on the Hot 100. His debut studio album, *Montero* (2021), was supported by the chart-topping singles "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and "Industry Baby" (featuring Jack Harlow) and the top-ten single "Thats What I Want", and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Known for his boldly queer visuals and social media presence, 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. He has also been awarded by Songwriters Hall of Fame as the youngest honoree of the Hal David Starlight Award. "Old Town Road" ranks as the second highest-certified song in the United States, with 17-times platinum status. He ranked on the *Forbes* 30 Under 30 list in 2020 and *Time*'s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021.

### Early Life

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 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, 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." 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.

He spent much of his teenage years alone, and turned to the Internet, "particularly Twitter, creating memes that showed his disarming wit and pop-culture savvy." His teenage years also saw him struggling with his coming out to himself as being gay; he prayed that it was just a phase, but around 16 or 17 he came to accept it. 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.

Hill attended Lithia Springs High School, from which he graduated in 2017. 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 musical career. 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. In September 2019 he revisited his high school to perform a surprise concert.