Lil Nas X Bio
Montero Lamar Hill, known professionally as Lil Nas X, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter born on April 9, 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to worldwide attention with the release of his 2018 country-rap single “Old Town Road,” which spent a then-record 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyond music, Lil Nas X is recognized for his provocative queer imagery, social-media-driven promotional style, and outspoken public persona. He has earned two Grammy Awards along with numerous other major industry honors.
Early Life and Background
Montero Lamar Hill was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 9, 1999, and was named after the Mitsubishi Montero. His parents divorced when he was six, and he initially settled in the Bankhead Courts housing project in Atlanta’s Bankhead neighborhood with his mother and grandmother. Three years later he moved north of the city to Austell, Georgia, to live with his father, who worked as a gospel singer. Hill later described the relocation as formative, noting that Atlanta’s rougher environment might have pulled him in a different direction had he stayed.
As a teenager, Hill spent long hours online, building a presence through memes, short comedy videos, and Twitter posts. He began playing trumpet in fourth grade and earned first chair by junior high, but he eventually quit out of fear of looking uncool. He attended Lithia Springs High School, graduating in 2017, and briefly enrolled at the University of West Georgia to study computer science before dropping out after one year to pursue music. During this period he supported himself with jobs at Zaxby’s and the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.
Path to Music
Hill’s creative origins were rooted in internet culture. Throughout his teenage years he produced memes and posted short-form comedy clips on Facebook, Vine, and Twitter, gradually sharpening the social-media instincts that would later define his career. He also reportedly ran Nicki Minaj fan accounts on Twitter under handles such as @NasMaraj, an experience that influenced his understanding of online engagement and viral content. After graduating high school, he briefly pursued higher education before redirecting his energy toward music.
In 2018, Hill committed to music as his path forward and began writing and recording in his closet, adopting the stage name Lil Nas X as a tribute to the rapper Nas. On July 24, 2018, he released his first mixtape, Nasarati, on SoundCloud. Although it did not immediately attract a large audience, the project laid the groundwork for his future sound. Later that October, he discovered a beat that would change his career and define a moment in popular music.
Lil Nas X Career
Early Career (2015–2017)
During his early years as an aspiring internet personality, Lil Nas X focused on building a digital audience through comedic skits, viral posts, and curated social-media content. He treated platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as creative laboratories, experimenting with formats designed to capture attention quickly. This period of online cultivation gave him the fluency in viral mechanics that would later prove essential to his success.
Although he had not yet released music, Hill’s immersion in internet culture helped him recognize the promotional potential of short-form content. His understanding of memes, trending topics, and audience participation provided a foundation for the breakthrough that was just around the corner.
Breakthrough (2018–2019)
On December 3, 2018, Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road,” a country-rap hybrid that he had recorded for under twenty dollars at an Atlanta studio. He purchased the beat from Dutch producer YoungKio on BeatStars for thirty dollars, and the song samples Nine Inch Nails’ “34 Ghosts IV.” Lil Nas X promoted the track through roughly one hundred self-made memes before the #Yeehaw Challenge on TikTok pushed it to viral status in early 2019.
The song debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ultimately climbed to number one, where it remained for a then-record 19 weeks. Billboard controversially removed it from the Hot Country Songs chart, a decision that sparked broader conversations about race and genre boundaries. A remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus followed in April 2019, and Lil Nas X signed with Columbia Records after an intense bidding war.
In 2019, Lil Nas X released his second EP, 7, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The project included the singles “Panini” and “Rodeo,” with “Panini” peaking at number five on the Hot 100. On June 30, 2019, he performed at the Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom and publicly came out as gay, becoming the first artist to do so while holding a number-one record.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X’s signature achievements include his debut studio album Montero (2021), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and earned an Album of the Year nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The album produced two number-one singles: “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow. In 2021, he won MTV’s Video of the Year Award for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” which he co-directed.
Lil Nas X Award Nominations
Lil Nas X has accumulated numerous high-profile nominations across his career. He was the most-nominated male artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and earned an Album of the Year nomination for Montero at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. He has also received nominations from the Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, iHeartRadio Music Awards, and American Music Awards. In 2021, he became the third artist to win an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for a video he co-directed.
Lil Nas X Awards Won
Lil Nas X has won 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. He became the first openly LGBT Black artist to win a Country Music Association award and the first openly LGBTQ person to win an MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year. In 2022, he became the youngest honoree of the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Lil Nas X Family
Montero Lamar Hill was raised primarily by his mother and grandmother in Atlanta’s Bankhead Courts before moving to Austell, Georgia, at age nine to live with his father, a gospel singer. His parents divorced when he was six. Limited public information is available regarding his immediate family, including siblings and extended relatives.
Personal Life
On June 30, 2019, Lil Nas X publicly came out as gay on the final day of Pride Month, becoming the first artist to do so while holding a number-one record. He has since spoken openly about his sexuality in interviews and on social media, and his visuals are frequently noted for their unapologetic queer expression. In terms of faith, he stated in September 2021 that he had once identified as an atheist but now considers himself a spiritual person. In 2024, Lil Nas X endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the U.S. election.