• April 9, 1999
• Lil Nas X was born Montero Lamar Hill in Lithia Springs, near Atlanta, Georgia. His mother named him after the Mitsubishi Montero because she wanted the car but never got one.
• The first gay mainstream rapper, Lil Nas X struggled to come to terms with his sexuality throughout his teens. An ardent Nicki Minaj fan, he found solace in running the @NasMaraj fan account on Twitter.
• When he was still known as Montero Hill, Nas enrolled at the University of West Georgia, where he majored in computer science, but dropped out after a year so he could concentrate on his music. The young rapper slept on his sister's couch and supported himself working as a cashier at Zaxby's chicken chain and as an attendant at the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.
• When Montero Hill started writing and recording songs, he adopted the name Lil Nas X in tribute to the rapper Nas. "When I started doing music, I was like, 'I want to have fun with this," he told Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show. "And every new rapper's name is Lil, Lil, Lil. 'What if I was Lil Nas? That'd be funny.' So I was like, 'Alright, bet. I'll be Lil Nas.' And I added the X later on."
• He self-released a debut mixtape called Nasarati in July 2018. Nas X subsequently admitted to The Guardian the record was "just me acting really hard... because it felt like that's what I had to do."
• A few months later, Lil Nas came across a beat on YouTube by a Dutch teenager named YoungKio, which he bought for $30. The rapper penned some lyrics, which he described to Genius as having a "loner cowboy kind of vibe." He titled his country-trap hybrid "Old Town Road." The song blew up as a result of memes on TikTok, becoming his breakthrough hit.
• "Old Town Road" spent 19 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, breaking the record for the longest run at the top of the tally.
• In June 2019, Nas X publicly came out as gay, the first artist to do so while having a #1 record.
• Since coming out, Lil Nas has been a LGBTQ trailblazer, incorporating gay themes in his songs and videos. By cultivating an image as a hedonistic and flamboyant gay rapper, his aim is to "open doors for many other queer people to simply exist."
• Lil Nas X attended the same high school in Georgia as Brockhampton founding member Kevin Abstract, though they didn't know each other at the time.

Comments

More Songfacts:

The FlameCheap Trick

Cheap Trick hated the ballad "The Flame" but recorded it because they needed a hit, and the song delivered, going to #1.

True ColorsCyndi Lauper

With a message of acceptance and inclusivity, "True Colors" became a gay rights anthem. Cyndi Lauper help form an organization called True Colors United to help support LGBTQ youth.

One WeekBarenaked Ladies

The closing lyrics in "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies are "Birchmount Stadium, home of the Robbie," which refers to a soccer tournament in Ontario.

Bad BoysInner Circle

Most of us only know "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle from the 25 seconds used as the Cops theme, but it's a full song telling the story of a Jamaican youth who doesn't accept family support and ends up a criminal.

Ms. JacksonOutKast

The "Ms. Jackson" in the OutKast song is Erykah Badu's mother. Andre 3000 had a child with Badu, and felt she was portraying him as a lousy dad.

Casey JonesGrateful Dead

The Grateful Dead considered "whipping that chain" and "lugging propane," but settled on "high on cocaine" for "Casey Jones."

Editor's Picks

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.