Lil Nas X has launched himself to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his debut and viral hit Old Town Road.
After being kicked off the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart last week, the 20-year-old rapper is quite literally back on top — this time, on a completely different chart.
The country-trap song was the source of a major controversy after Billboard decided it did “not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.”
After enlisting Billy Ray Cyrus for a remix version of the song, Old Town Road recirculated across the globe, and both versions began to climb the charts once more.
The original Old Town Road earned the No. 1 spot on Monday and now holds the title for top Hot 100 song in the week of April 13, 2019.
The remix with Cyrus is already expected to take its place next week. The iconic country star paid a visit to the rapper’s studio last week to help add more elements of country suitable to Billboard’s standards.
READ MORE: Billy Ray Cyrus joins Lil Nas X in genre-bending ‘Old Town Road’ remix
Lil Nas X dropped the horse-ridin’ cowboy anthem only last December. It was his fourth independent release overall. Everything prior was released to his YouTube account.
The banjo-sampled trap beat became a phenomenon on TikTok, among various other social media apps — it even samples a 2008 Nine Inch Nails track, 34 Ghosts IV.
Old Town Road originally landed a spot on not only Billboard’s Hot 100 list but the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Country Songs charts.
It’s currently unclear whether Billboard will make an exception on its country charts to allow room for the brand-new remix.
Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) is now available on all major streaming platforms.
READ MORE: Billboard removes black artist Lil Nas X from the country chart, sparking controversy
Thanks to all the buzz around Lil Nas X, the Atlanta-based rapper has just been signed to Columbia Records and is currently working on his debut album.
As of this writing, he has no plans to go out on tour.
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