Lil Nas X

Background

Montero Lamar Hill, or Lil Nas X, is a highly decorated musician and talented artist. His world-stopping singles, aesthetic music videos, and raw originality have made him one of the most successful artists of the present day. Hill was born on April 09, 1999, in Lithia Springs, Georgia, U.S., into a family of Afro-American descent. Hill had a rough childhood. He went to live with his mother and grandmother after his parents divorced; he was just six at that time. Three years later, he moved in with his gospel-singer father in Austell, Georgia. He turned to the internet, particularly Twitter, as an escape from constant difficulties. In 2017, he graduated from Lithia Springs High School.

Hill enrolled at the University of West Georgia but dropped out to pursue music. At this time, he worked small jobs to support himself. He started writing and recording songs in 2018 and released his first mixtape, “Nasarati,” in July 2018. The mixtape didn’t meet success until after he dropped a number, ‘Old Town Road,’ in December 2018. In early 2019, the song went viral on TikTok and debuted at number 83 on Billboard Hot 100. A few weeks later, it climbed to the number one spot! Following the song’s success, he signed with Columbia Records in March 2019.

Hill is a brilliant rapper. Despite the racism he faced after debuting in the country music genre, ‘Old Town Road’ was a massive success, amassing 143 million streams in its first week. He then dropped another single, ‘Panini,’ in 2019, and his debut E.P. in June of the same year. In 2021, he released his debut studio album, “Montero,” which was a musical expression of his queerness. Two songs from this album debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. As a highly successful and controversial artist, Hill has had very public relationships, which ended sorely. He is currently single.