Lil Nas X: From ‘Old Town Road’ to Man of the Year

Known for being bold and a prominent leader of the LGBTQA+ community, Lil Nas X is one of the three cover stars for GQ Magazine’s Men of The Year. Already announced GQ Men of the Year include Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The artist shared his accomplishment on a recent Twitter post.

GQ MAN OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/vig5ejxbwD

— MONTERO 🦋 (@LilNasX) November 15, 2021

Being outspoken and taking criticism are two things that he is known for. His dazzling red carpet looks is another. The way that he is not afraid to test society’s norms is something to admire. The mindset and feelings of the artist are something that fans forget to acknowledge.

With the release of “Montero,” many fans were alarmed by the approach of EMA’s best music video. In an interview with GQ, the artist explained how it feels to receive criticism on his work.

“It’s like a blessing and a curse, you know? ‘Cause sometimes those [negative responses] can take a toll on your mental, especially if you’re already in a bad mood. But you can also take it and create art with it. And that’s like the best position to be in, because I get to take all this shit and make something good out of it,” stated X.

Congrats @LilNasX #EMAs pic.twitter.com/xs20JpqYzn

— Columbia Records (@ColumbiaRecords) November 15, 2021

Without reading between the lines, fans would have never known that Montero was a cry for help. In the interview Nas talked about how desperate he sounded in the song. The interviewer, Jermy Harris, felt alarmed by the line “I only f*ck the ones I envy.” Harris stated that he knew this was an emotional song.

“That line, in and of itself, is a frighteningly honest encapsulation of the loneliness of being young, Black, and queer, searching for affirmations in all the wrong places. The single’s visuals, too, struck chords heretofore unstruck: There was overt faggotry, an invocation of Satan worship, and the specter of the many American children, including my nieces and nephew, who would know almost every word.” stated Harris.

Being unapologetically himself, Lil Nas X recalls himself being a poseur in high school. Always trying to fit into the crowd and be friends with guys who would talk wrong about him. Looking back at that time, Lil Nas X is thankful for where he is now.

“About where I was three years ago. Nobody even thought that I would be here. Everybody was like, ‘One-hit-wonder this, one-hit-wonder that.’ And now it’s amazing that my competition is Drake.” stated X.

Being content with where he is as a person is his number one goal. In the interview, he was asked multiple times if he was involved with anyone. The artist responded by saying he was more in love with his work than with someone right now.

Producing music and making eye-catching content is the passion of the artist. Being an open book about his insecurities and love life, one can admire his transparency to help other people. His work has not gone unseen.