Wednesday August 10, 2022 “Old Town Road” Lil Nas X (Billy Ray Cyrus)
Today we are on "Old Town Road" which is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018 and after gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, which was released on April 5, 2019.
Lil Nas X was born Montero Lamar Hill in Lithia Springs, near Atlanta, Georgia. His mother named him after the Mitsubishi Montero because she wanted the car but never got one.
Lil Nas came across a beat on YouTube by a Dutch teenager named YoungKio, which he bought for $30. The rapper penned some lyrics, which he described as having a "loner cowboy kind of vibe." He titled his country-rap hybrid "Old Town Road." The song blew up as a result of memes on TikTok, becoming his breakthrough hit.
We have touched on borrowed music before and “Old Town Road” has a few references that it took ‘inspiration’ from. Dutch record producer YoungKio composed the instrumental and it features a sample of "34 Ghosts IV" by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, before Lil Nas X got to it.
“Old Town Road” has been labeled as "country rap", a genre that had not often reached the mainstream consciousness prior to its release.
Stay safe and well….and you may think of "Old Town Road" as a novelty but it spent 19 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, breaking the record for the longest run at the top of the tally.