A Look at the Life and Career of Lil Nas X

BEAU BIKOFF — Montero Lamar Hill, the devoted Nicki Minaj fan more popularly known as Lil Nas X, was born in Lithia Springs, Georgia, in 1999. Nas grew up poor, splitting his home life between one parent or another after they divorced when he was only 6 years old. He began his social media career running a small, but sophisticated meme account on Twitter. The internet, especially social media, had always piqued Nas’ interest. Nas taught himself about how these platforms work, and the algorithms behind creating a viral video. He grew so confident in his knowledge that he dropped out of school to take a gamble in creating what he loved most: music. He moved in with his sister to launch his career, but it wasn’t a success at first. After a relatively unsuccessful first few songs, an idea sparked for a short and catchy song. Little did he know at the time, this spark would change his life forever. His revolutionary new technique had never been attempted before–to create a rap song with a country twist. Nas purchased his beat online for only $30, and got to work. The product was “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X’s single that was posted on Soundcloud in 2018. It proceeded to go viral on TikTok, gaining traction before it would later become #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and holding the top spot for 19 weeks. Despite the notion that this song made Nas a “one hit wonder,” he proved that this wasn’t the case when he released his debut album Montero in 2021. This brought the spotlight back to Nas, giving him the platform he had always dreamed of. The openly gay Nas has become a symbol for gay rights and acceptance. Although Montero did not perform as well as he had hoped, he has accomplished all his goals. This unfortunately has led to a decrease in Nas’ social media presence, with the exception of occasional and dramatic posts to bring the attention back onto him. After backlash to his “Satan shoes” and faking a pregnancy, it is hard to tell if Nas has the resources to create another record breaking hit. Overall Lil Nas X has had a relatively short, but incredibly impactful career, along with some really good music.