Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for blending country and hip-hop into mainstream dominance. Born on April 9, 1999, he rose to prominence with "Old Town Road" (2018), which spent a then-record 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The track's success was inseparable from his public coming out as gay—a landmark moment in hip-hop visibility that made him the first artist to hold a number-one record while openly gay.

Following that debut single, Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records and released his extended play 7 (2019), which included "Panini" (peaked at number five on the Hot 100) and "Rodeo" (remixed with Nas, peaked at number 22). His debut studio album Montero (2021) reached number two on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The album featured two number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and "Industry Baby" featuring Jack Harlow, plus the top-ten single "That's What I Want".

Lil Nas X has accumulated major industry recognition: two Grammy Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Hip Hop Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards, and two American Music Awards. "Old Town Road" is the second highest-certified song in the US with 17 platinum certifications. In 2020, Forbes named him to their 30 Under 30 list; Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021. In May 2022, at age 23, he became the youngest recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.