The “Old Town Road” rapper reflected on his turbulent time in the country music space.
Earlier, ‘Billboard’ removed Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” from the Hot Country Songs chart in 2019, claiming the song did “not embrace enough elements” of the genre.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Lil Nas X discussed his feelings about being both “happy” for fellow genre-blending artists like Beyoncé and Shaboozey’s recent major chart successes in country music and “frustrated” that he wasn’t given the same opportunity to thrive in the genre.
The artist’s breakthrough single, “Old Town Road,” which combined trap and country music elements, was released in 2019. However, it did not “embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current form,” which led to its removal from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. This raised concerns about whether this was the result of his race.
But earlier this year, Beyoncé received a lot of praise for her contributions to country music with “Cowboy Carter,” and Shaboozey had success with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” as well.
Lil Nas X expressed his happiness for these artists in a recent interview with the BBC, but he also said, “But I wish this would have happened for me. I was unable to even witness this.”
The rapper responded that he had been “trying out some country [sounds] here and there over the last couple of years” when asked if it had inspired him to return to the genre.
But he wants “to feel connected to it and not force it.”
“Of course, I know my own worth, but these are the things that are going to feed your family and the people around you who have helped build what you’re creating. So it’s important. I can’t just say [screw] hits because I need them,” Lil Nas X concluded.
Earlier this month, Lil Nas X and Kevin Abstract collaborated on the seductive new song “Tennessee.” The former member of Brockhampton has dropped his song featuring Lil Nas X, which was hinted at during Abstract’s Coachella performance.
