Even if you aren't familiar with the name Lil Nas X, you have almost certainly heard his hit single "Old Town Road".
It's the country and hip-hop mash-up that's taking over the airwaves around the world. In March, the song actually reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, but was eventually disqualified for not "fitting the country genre." Still, it landed at number one on rap and pop charts from Australia to China to Germany to the US.
And now Lil Nas X -- real name Montero Lamar Hill -- is back in the news after revealing over the weekend that he is gay.
It started with a few cryptic tweets in which he shared rainbow-filled messages while acknowledging he would likely lose fans.
“Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not [gonna follow me] no more. But before this month ends I want y’all to listen closely to c7osure,” he tweeted.
In the single “C7osure” he raps: “True say, I want and I need to let go, use my time to be free. ... Ain’t no more actin’, man that forecast say I should just let me grow/ No more red light for me baby, only green, I gotta go/ Pack my past up in the back, oh, let my future take ahold/ This is what I gotta do, can’t be regrettin’ when I’m old.”
He then added, “thought i made it obvious,” and included a photo of him as a cowboy riding towards buildings decked out with rainbow lighting for Pride Month.
Yes, the haters came out to whine about the news, but they were outnumbered by the show of love and support he received from fans and celebrities.
“SO proud of my baby brother [Lil Nas X],” Miley Cyrus wrote with heart and rainbow emojis. “In your corner forever my friend!”
Clevver News also covered some of the stars coming out to support the rapper.
And for those of you who have been living under a rock, here is his mega-hit single ...