Lil Nas X opened up about his experience in the country music sphere, especially in comparison to Beyonce‘s experience with Cowboy Carter.
Back in 2019, Lil Nas X‘s country trap single “Old Town Road” was removed from Billboard’s Hot Country Song Chart after the outlet decided that it did not have enough country music elements to qualify for the chart. The decision sparked accusations of racism.
Five years later, Beyonce made history by becoming the first Black woman to top the chart with her single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Her single was replaced at No. 1 by Shaboozey, another Black artist, with “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
In a new interview, The “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” rapper weighed in on how his experience was different. He also revealed if he would consider dabbling in country music again in the future and talked about the pressure of creating a hit.
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While he told BBC that he is “happy” for Beyonce and Shaboozey, he still was sad about his own experience.
“But I wish this would have happened for me. I wasn’t even able to experience this,” he admitted to the outlet.
Despite being shunned by the country chart, Lil Nas X has of course found success with multiple songs in the time since “Old Town Road.” Despite that, he added that he still feels pressure to generate more viral success.
“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,” he explained, adding, “So it’s important. I can’t just say [screw] hits, because I need them.”
He added that creating a hit “makes you feel like a better person.” However, the hitmaker made it clear that he wasn’t going to stop creating for his fans, too.
Now that Beyonce and other Black artists are having luck with country music will Lil Nas X return to the genre? He told the outlet that he’s open, saying that he’d been “trying out some country [sounds] here and there over the last couple of years”.
Lil Nas X just joined forces with Camila Cabello for a new song called “HE KNOWS.” Check out the music video!
