Lil Nas X biography, real name, partner, age, height 2025

Biography of Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X burst onto the global music scene. This young African American rapper released the country-rap song "Old Town Road" in early 2019. He's been hailed as a revolutionary who shattered cultural and social norms, challenged conservative attitudes in the music industry, and achieved worldwide recognition.

Childhood

The singer, dubbed "a powerful and unique cultural phenomenon in the modern American music industry" by age 20, was born Montero Lamar Hill. The musician was born on April 9, 1999, in Lithia Springs, Georgia.

His father, Robert Stafford (born in 1969), was not a professional musician, but was known among family and friends as a musician, especially after writing a song specifically for a friend's funeral that made everyone cry. This led to invitations to perform at various events. He was initially against his son's interest in music, particularly rap culture, arguing that the industry already had too many rappers. However, he later changed his mind and now supports Montero in all his endeavors.

The rapper's biological mother, as well as his brothers Lamarco and Trammon, is named Tamika Hill. The rapper carries her last name. After his parents' divorce in 2005, Montero and his brothers stayed with their mother for several years. His grandmother helped raise the children.

The divorce had a serious impact on Montero. He became a troubled child, and his mother struggled to handle his unruly behavior. In 2009, 10-year-old Montero went to live with his father in Austell, a town near Atlanta. By that time, his father had remarried. Montero's stepmother, Mia Stafford, became a second mother to him. She put considerable effort into getting Montero into college, helping him with grant applications.

During high school, Hill got into music, took trumpet lessons, and even became head of the school band. But he quit because he didn't think it made him look cool enough to his classmates.

After high school, Montero enrolled in college but only studied IT for one semester, according to Rolling Stone. His passion for the internet—where he escaped adult problems and peer drama—and creating music soon became his main focus, pushing everything else aside.

This created major family drama: his stepmother, who'd worked so hard to get him into college, was furious, and his father doubted his son could make it in an industry already packed with wannabe rappers.

Lil Nas X with his father and stepmother

Rolling Stone also reported that from 2015 to 2018, Hill tried making money through social media by managing a Nicki Minaj fan page on Twitter, which was eventually blocked for violating spam policies. However, the singer himself denies this information, calling it a misunderstanding.

Old Town Road

Lil Nas X chose his stage name in honor of Grammy-winning rapper Nas, who tops MTV's list of the greatest MCs of all time.

In December 2018, the young rapper released the single "Old Town Road." He bought the beat anonymously for just thirty dollars on Halloween night and recorded the song for twenty dollars at a budget Atlanta studio with deep nighttime discounts.

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Official Video) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus

Soon after its TikTok release, the first "Old Town Road" music video—which Lil Nas X said was almost entirely made of memes—went viral. By mid-March 2019, the song became a hit on Billboard Hot Country Songs but was pulled for not fitting the country mold.

The song blended industrial rock and rap, but Lil Nas X called its chart removal an act of racial injustice and segregation.

They thought I was too black to be popular.

But this removal brought unexpected benefits. Country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley's father and a beloved American icon, threw his support behind Lil Nas X. In May 2019, he teamed up with Lil Nas X to sing the chorus on a new version of "Old Town Road."

The song shot back onto Billboard Hot Country Songs, topped the chart, and made Lil Nas X one of America's most influential internet celebrities.

The phenomenal success of this Atlanta musician's debut is easy to explain: the song is catchy, the video was built from memorable memes, and top stars jumping on remixes generated massive public interest and strong media support.

The full "Old Town Road" video dropped on YouTube in mid-May 2019. Drawing inspiration from Donald Glover's series "Atlanta," the song became the biggest hit of summer 2019.

The video, where Wild West meets modern day, impressed even seasoned viewers. It ditched the usual rap clichés: drugs, bling, scantily clad women, weapons, or profanity. The result? In just six months, the video racked up nearly 400 million views and made Lil Nas X a global star.

"Old Town Road" held the top chart spot longer than Mariah Carey's 1995 hit "One Sweet Day," which had replaced Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me," and the massive "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi.

Upon learning of the young rapper's record, Mariah Carey personally congratulated him and wished him success. Lil Nas X, or simply X as his fans call him, responded that he would strive to maintain the high standard and not disappoint her.

Rapid Rise

In an interview with Time, X says he sees himself as an innovator who's ready to fight for his individuality. He compares himself to pioneers of hip-hop and rock 'n' roll. After dropping a remix of "Old Town Road" featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, he released versions with Diplo and Korean stars from BTS, sparking countless memes and jokes across media.

Riding the wave of fame, X leaned into the controversies that had followed him since launching his music career, and right after dropping "Panini," he came out as gay, pointing fans to the hints he'd embedded in "C7osure."

Lil Nas X - Panini

Skai Jackson, star of Disney's "Jessie," appeared in the music video for the young rapper's follow-up track. The video contained numerous references to the iconic 1982 film "Blade Runner" and became very popular, but it couldn't break the record set by his debut song. "Old Town Road's" unstoppable run continued through the end of summer 2019, leading to several Grammy nominations for Lil Nas X.

In the summer of 2019, the young rapper released an EP featuring seven songs, including the already famous "Old Town Road" and "Panini." The collection received mixed reviews from critics: some called it "addictive," praising its mix of serious themes and playful energy, while others pointed to its obvious commercial appeal, with songs blending the best features of country, rock, and rap.

Singer Cardi B participated in the recording of the song "Rodeo," and "F9mily" was recorded with Travis Barker. According to Rolling Stone, the collection ranked second on the list of the best albums of the year. It brought the young musician from Atlanta recognition from the Country Music Association and awards from the Teen Choice Awards and MTV.

The song "Old Town Road," included in the singer's debut EP, which was released in June 2019, marked the beginning of a new musical trend dubbed "country rap" by critics.

"Lil Nas X did the impossible – he shattered cultural barriers and completely shifted how we think about musical genres," says the executive director of Columbia Records, with whom the musician signed a contract.

The musician fought against stereotypes and earned a reputation as a rapper who prefers to play by his own rules, offering a unique musical product based on his interpretation of musical traditions. Lil Nas X and his songs exist in that unprejudiced space where cultural norms and boundaries, whether genre or identity, don't matter much.

In fall 2019, the Atlanta rapper was named among the youngest and most influential internet celebrities, alongside Billie Eilish and Lizzo. Lil Nas X received six Grammy nominations, competing against romantic rockers Black Pumas for Best New Artist, and in the Record of the Year category, his competitors included rappers Post Malone and Khalid.

Lil Nas X ft. BTS – Old Town Road

At the ceremony, he performed his hit "Old Town Road" with Korean stars BTS and won the award for Best Duo Performance. The music video for this song also earned him the Best Music Video award.

Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)

In the spring of 2021, the rapper released a music video for the song "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" and simultaneously launched a line of Satan Shoes, based on the Nike Air Max 97 (though Nike stated they had no association with the model). A total of 666 pairs were released.

In September of the same year, Lil Nas X released his first full-length solo album titled "Montero." Stars like Kanye West (producer), Doja Cat (they performed the track "Scoop" together), Elton John (One of Me), and Miley Cyrus (Am I Dreaming) participated in its creation.

Lil Nas X - SCOOP ft. Doja Cat

Personal Life of Lil Nas X

Little is known about the private life of the young rap star who lit up the music world in 2019. The rapper, who turned twenty in the spring of 2019, came out as gay on Twitter.

In 2021, the rapper dated Colombian dancer Yai Ariza. Lil Nas X kissed him on stage during the BET Awards. However, their relationship didn't last a year.

Lil Nas X Now

At the beginning of 2024, Lil Nas X released a song called 'J Christ' to coincide with the premiere of his new HBO documentary 'Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero'

Lil Nas X - J CHRIST