Lil Nas X's Billy Ray Cyrus-assisted “Old Town Road” may be the longest-running No. 1 single in Billboard Hot 100 history (19 weeks), but that doesn't erase the conflicted feelings of Grammy-winning “Industry Baby”. The rapper is on about his controversial reception in the country music scene in 2019, compared to how Beyoncé and Shaboozey's country tunes were embraced in 2024.
While he's “happy” for the two, Lil Nas X said BBC on May 19, “I wish this had happened for me. I couldn't even live with that.”
Lil Nas and Billy Ray took home the 2019 CMA award for music event of the year, but, for the “Montero” singer, even that triumph pales in comparison to how black artists have been received in the country music mainstream. Half a decade after 'Old Town Road' dominated, black artists are making history in the genre.
At the top of 2024, Beyoncé's smash hit “Texas Hold 'Em” became the first song by a black woman to top the Hot Country Songs chart, as well as the first country song by a black woman to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. Months later — after Queen Bey's release Cowboy Carter, the first album by a black woman to top Country Albums — Shaboozey's J-Kwon-featuring “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hits No. 1 on Country Songs, making him and Beyoncé the first black artists to score back-to-back leaders in the chart's 66-year history. “A Bar Song” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, marking Shaboozey's third appearance on the chart in 2024, following his double Cowboy Carter features: “Spaghettii” (No. 31, with Linda Martell) and “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin” (No. 61).
Cowboy Carter It also features collaborations with several rising black country stars, including Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy and Willie Jones. After the release of “Texas Hold 'Em”, Advertising sign reported massive boosts for black women in country music, from Martell to Rissi Palmer to K. Michelle.
Lil Nas' post-'Old Town Road' music has further explored his affinity for rap, pop and rock, but he's hinted at a return to country music, confirming to the BBC that he's “trying some country. [sounds] here and there in the last two years.”
“I want to feel connected to it and not force it,” he said.
Five years ago, “Old Town Road” — which eventually won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — achieved the rare feat of simultaneously appearing on the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song spent a week at No. 19 on Hot Country Songs before Advertising sign removed the trap country hit from ranking for “no [embracing] enough data of today's country music” despite Lil Nas X labeling the song as “country” in the track's metadata upon its release on December 3, 2018.
The ejection of “Old Town Road” from the Advertising sign The country charts sparked a flurry of debate about the acceptance and recognition of black artists in country music, and the industry's apparent compulsion to only integrate black artists into the hip-hop and R&B genres despite their songwriting. Some have even drawn parallels to 2016's “Daddy Lessons,” widely regarded as Beyoncé's first proper song, which didn't chart on Country Songs despite No. 26 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and a subsequent remix with The Chicks.
Since “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X has successfully transitioned from viral meme to shining lightning rod of cultural pop stardom. Both his official works — of 2019 7 EP and 2021 Montero LP — peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He's also added a number of Hot 100 hits to his arsenal, including “Montero (Call Me By Your Name” (No. 1), “Industry Baby” (No. 1, with Jack Harlow), “Panini” (No. 5) and “Thats What I Want” (No. 8).
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/lil-nas-x-beyonce-shaboozey-country-music-success-1235688598/
