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The rise of Lil Nas X with the hit song “Old Town Road”

A year ago, Montero Lamar Hill, also known as Lil Nas X, was living with his sister after dropping out of college. This week, his hit song, “Old Town Road,” was named Apple Music’s top song of 2019.

Lil Nas X is a truly self-made star. He recorded “Old Town Road” on Soundcloud and recorded an amateur music video on TikTok. After the song went viral, Nas collaborated with country legend Billy Ray Cyrus on a remix, and the rest is history.

Nas seems as surprised as anyone by his sudden rise to fame. “Thank you @AppleMusic for naming Old Town Road as the 2019 Top Song of the Year! This is only the beginning,” Lil Nas X tweeted on Tuesday.

He also retweeted @PopCrave, who summarized the song’s massive success in a single tweet.

“A year ago today, @LilNasX released ‘Old Town Road,'” @PopCrave tweeted. “The massive hit single broke genre conventions and streaming records with its blend of hip-hop and country. It’s certified DIAMOND, nominated for two Grammys and remains the longest-running #1 song in history at 19 weeks.”

Lil Nas X, who is only 19 years old, has since signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Columbia Records. His story is a true rags-to-riches tale. However, Lil Nas X has maintained his humility–and his sense of humor.

“i was at the store and someone asked me “are you lil nas” i said yes and then all of the employees quit their jobs, put me on their shoulders and chanted “LIL NAS X LIL NAS X” while playing my ep across the speakers,” Lil Nas X joked on Twitter a few days before Old Town Road was named the top song of 2019.