All Hail Lil Nas X, the New King of the Billboard Hot 100
Well folks, he did it. In the eternal words of the Walmart yodel kid, Mason Ramsey, "If you ain't got no giddy up then giddy out my way." Lil Nas X has just dethroned Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s "One Sweet Day" and Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" (both tied) with his hit single "Old Town Road," which now claims the record for longest-running No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at a stunning 17 weeks.
The viral "Old Town Road" has dominated 2019 since its release, sitting atop the Hot 100 for more than four months now, a monumental amount of time that's been aided by incredibly strong streaming figures, a series of cleverly deployed remixes (featuring the likes of stars such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey, and BTS's RM), its creators keen grip on social media, and a general public's appetite for a feel-good success story. Lil Nas X has only been in the public eye for six or so months, but he's quickly become one of our most affable celebrities, a delightfully non media-trained star of Twitter and real life. He's gotten cover shoots (most recently this excellent Dazed look), performed "Old Town Road" at Glastonbury with his remix partner's more famous daughter (Miley Cyrus, natch), come out as gay during Pride month ("wow man last year i was sleeping on my sisters floor, had no money, struggling to get plays on my music, suffering from daily headaches, now i’m gay," he tweeted), and has ridden the wave of celebrity better than almost anyone could've expected.
And then there's "Old Town Road," a song that truly bridges worlds and shatters boundaries. You might remember the song first rose to mainstream attention when Billboard denied its place on the country charts, a move that rightfully ruffled industry (and fan) feathers. If anything, though, the decision shone a big fat spotlight on the (very good) song and made an overnight star out of its creator. It led to the release of Lil Nas X's weird, delightful 7 EP, a project that opens and closes with "Old Town Road" and is stuffed with weird, left field hits like the rapidly rising "Panini" and the exceptional country-trap Cardi B banger "Rodeo." (You know when you've gotten a cosign by music's other foremost reigning entity that you're in business.)
According to press release just blasted to the media by Lil Nas X's record label, Columbia Records:
The cultural phenomenon that is “Old Town Road” feat. Billy Ray Cyrus has completely taken over the internet, broken boundaries in the industry and has been the true underdog story of the year. The song first took flight on TikTok, with fans across the world posting videos dancing to the song and memes where they transform into cowboys. Propelled by many more viral moments and Lil Nas X’s charming, hilarious online presence, the song has completely raised the bar in a genre-less music environment. “Old Town Road” charges on to become the biggest song of all time.
It's worth noting that a lot of people are going to label Lil Nas X as a flash in the pan in the coming days, as frequently naysayers find themselves doing when someone achieves immense success in a way that's perceived as suddenly. But celebrating this victory feels, for a change, exceptionally good. Lil Nas X is a star who's burning brightly and brilliantly, right now, in front of us all, for the world to see. We have no choice but to stan a reigning legend. It's Lil Nas X season, now and forever.
Originally Appeared on GQ
