In May 2018, Lil Tracy and Lil Uzi Vert ignited the trend with their country rap single "Like a Farmer (Remix)". Lil Nas X has cited Young Thug as a pioneer of country trap. Ĭountry rap, and its subgenre, country trap, emerged onto the mainstream following the American rapper Young Thug's experimental mixtape Beautiful Thugger Girls (2017). Lil Nas X (pictured) bought the beat for "Old Town Road" anonymously on an online store from producer YoungKio for $30. Rolling Stone named it the 490th greatest song of all time in its 2021 list. It has sold over 18 million records worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. In September 2021, the song has set the record as the highest certified song ever by the RIAA with 15-times platinum status in the United States, meaning it accumulated 15 million in equivalent song units. In October 2019, Nas X's label Columbia Records/ Sony Music Entertainment, won the Music & Sound Recordings Award from SAG-AFTRA "for work that exemplifies equal access" of LGBTQ and "other misrepresented or underrepresented groups." At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.
The song was certified diamond by the RIAA in October 2019 for selling ten million total units in the United States, the fastest song to be certified diamond. One or more versions of "Old Town Road" have topped the national singles charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and have charted in the top 10 in various other markets.
Though it was not re-entered onto the overall country charts, both versions of the song collectively peaked at number one on the general Billboard Hot 100, for a record-breaking nineteen consecutive weeks. The song reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart before the magazine disqualified it from the chart on the grounds that it did not fit the genre, sparking a debate on the definition of country music. The song initially gained popularity on the social video sharing app TikTok and eventually entered the Billboard charts in March 2019. At the time, he had been living with his sister after dropping out of college his real world struggles were an influence on some of the lyrics. Lil Nas X purchased the instrumental for US$30 and recorded "Old Town Road" in one day. The sample was placed behind trap-style Roland TR-808 drums and bass. It features a sample of " 34 Ghosts IV" by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Dutch record producer YoungKio composed the instrumental and made it available for purchase online in 2018. The song has been widely labeled as " country rap", a genre that had not often reached the mainstream prior to its release.
Both were included on Lil Nas X's first EP, 7 (2019). Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, which was released on April 5, 2019. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Hence the “ You can whip your Porsche” line refers to the fact he doesn’t need all the riches and trappings often seen in hip-hop to succeed." Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. In an interview with song lyrics site Genius, Lil Nas X explained the titular road represents the path to success and the horse he’s riding represents that while he may not have had much at that point in his life, he did have the talent and determination to make it. "Old Town Road" is about much more than riding horses though. Related: Game Of Thrones: The Real Meaning Of Podrick's Song Later – after he came out during Pride Month and fans speculated the song must have some hidden homoerotic meaning – Lil Nas X shut them down by tweeting “o ld town road is literally about horses.” In June 2019 he trolled Twitter with a tweet joking that "Old Town Road" was about climate change. It was the song on everybody’s lips in summer 2019 and as such there’s been a lot of discussion about what the "Old Town Road" lyrics mean - which is something Lil Nas X has had a bit of fun with. A remix of "Old Town Road" featuring country singer Billy Ray Cyrus was released in April 2019 and the song went on to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for a record-breaking 19 weeks.
"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X is the anthem of 2019 but while everybody can sing the lyrics, what do they actually mean? Lil Nas X’s self-described ‘country rap’ anthem was released in late 2018 and rose to popularity with the help of the app TikTok where it inspired the Yeehaw Challenge meme.