Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill in 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia, is a rapper, singer, and producer who became a global phenomenon with «Old Town Road». Originally released independently, the song and its remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus became a genre-blurring hip-hop and country crossover hit that shattered streaming and chart records.

He dropped out of college to pursue music full time, building buzz online before his breakthrough. His stage name evolved from an internet alias, «Nas», with «Lil» added as a playful nod to the wave of rappers using that prefix, and «X» appended later. Beyond «Old Town Road», he has released provocative, genre-spanning singles such as «Panini», «MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)», «INDUSTRY BABY», and «HOLIDAY», often paired with bold visuals and public persona work that made him a cultural lightning rod.

Lil Nas X is known for fusing pop, rap, and R&B with unapologetic personal storytelling, particularly around his identity as an openly gay Black artist in mainstream hip-hop. His willingness to challenge genre and industry conventions, alongside collaborators and producers across multiple styles, has made him one of the most talked-about artists to emerge in the late 2010s and early 2020s.