Who Is Lil Nas X, What Is The 'Old Town Road' Country-Rap Row And What Has Billy Ray Cyrus Said?

8 April 2019, 11:14

Rapper Lil Nas X has hit the headlines recently, thanks to his remix of Billy Ray Cyrus' 'Old Town Road'.

Montero Hill, AKA, Lil Nas X, has hit the headlines recently for releasing the world's first ever 'country rap'.

Taking on Billy Ray Cyrus' country classic, 'Old Town Road', Lil Nas X used media app TikTok to build up a following and get his name out there.

But what do we know about the rapper, and what is the fuss about the song? Here's the lowdown...

Who is Lil Nas X?

Born on 9th April, 1999, Lil Nas X became an internet personality on Twitter.

He started a Nicki Minaj fan account called "NasMaraj", before kickstarting his other viral fan page, "FactsAboutNM".

In 2018, the rapper started uploading his music to SoundCloud, releasing his country rap song, 'Old Town Road'.

The song went viral on TikTok, as part of the 'Yeehaw Challenge' meme.

It then went on to reach number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, number 19 on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list.

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) [Remix]

What is the country rap row?

The track has sparked mass controversy, with traditional country artists claiming it doesn't fit in the genre.

While it did receive some traction on the Billboard Top Country Songs, it was swiftly removed from the charts after it was deemed insufficiently country.

Billboard told Rolling Stone the track "does not embrace enough elements of today's country music to chart in its current form".

What has Billy Ray Cyrus said about it?

Taking to Twitter, Miley Cyrus' dad and country star Billy Ray Cyrus threw his hat in the ring.

He said: ".@LilNasX Been watching everything going on with OTR. When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me “Take this as a compliment” means you’re doing something great! Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club!"

His daughter Miley also shared her support, promoting the song in a series of Instagram Stories.