Country-rap hit “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X has become the longest-running No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, continuing into its 17th week at the top.
Previously, the record was held at 16 weeks by “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men and “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber. Lil Nas X first climbed to the top of the country charts, but was booted for “not [embracing] enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version,” Billboard said. After Billy Ray Cyrus added a verse and the song became a viral hit, “Old Town Road” topped the genre-spanning Hot 100 chart.
Billy Ray tweeted, “Congratulations my friend @Lil Nas X You sir are what ya call a ‘game changer.’ Love ya man. You are a light.”
Even Mariah took to Twitter to congratulate X on beating her Billboard Hot 100 record. “Sending love & congrats to @Lil Nas X on breaking one of the longest running records in music history! We’ve been blessed to hold this record with a song that means a great deal to @BoyzIIMen and myself and has touched so many. Keep living your best life!” Mariah wrote.
She continued, “Thank you for acknowledging this song ❤ One Sweet Day will always hold a special place in my heart and I want to thank anyone who’s ever told me how this song has affected them and their loved ones.”
Lil Nas X quickly responded, writing, “wowwww thank you so much mariah! you are a legend and an icon and i’m blessed to even have you acknowledging me right now! growing up to your music & now having you talk to me directly is unreal! ❤️❤️❤️”
On top of that good news, Lil Nas covers Dazed magazine’s Autumn 2019 issue, available August 1st. The upcoming issue celebrates Lil Nas X’s success and the reemergence of cowboy culture.
“I knew this was my chance to break out, and if I didn’t push this as hard as I could all day and night, I was failing myself,” Lil Nas X said of his viral hit “Old Town Road” in an excerpt from the article.
The magazine is also partnering with TikTokf or the new issue, where they gave a first look at the cover on their new account. Fans can get involved by taking part in the #LassoChallenge on the app, where they need to lasso any object while Lil Nas X’s new song “Panini” plays in the background.
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