Lil Nas X has been making headlines for over a year now, especially with his latest release of music video for his hit song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”. The music video of the celebrity has sparked controversy, especially in more conservative political spaces due to the themes of heaven, hell and sin. Who is the man behind the song and music video, and whose career does he most want to emulate?
Who’s Lil Nas X?
RELATED: Lil Nas X’s Current Level of Convenience Inspired by Two Unique Entertainers
Montero Lamar Hill, Lil Nas X, was born in 1999 in a suburb of Atlanta. The 21-year-old has started making his way to fame on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In 2018, he released ‘Old Town Road’, a unique country rap song that quickly made him famous on the popular app TikTok.
Lil Nas X created the song with cheap beats, samples and study time, and it debuted at number 83 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and eventually reached number one. Following the success of “Old Town Road”, Lil Nas X also released his first EP, 7. During the summer of 2020, he announced that he was almost done with an upcoming album, now known as The Name Montero and will be released in the summer of 2021. Lil Nas X had a lot of controversy, which undoubtedly helped his name recognition.
His name took off in March 2021 when he announced the release of Satan Shoes, which is believed to contain a drop of human blood, with the art studio MSCHF in Brooklyn. Satan Shoes was controversial beyond the name and the fact that it contained human blood, as Nike had no part in their creation. MSCHF eventually lost a lawsuit by Nike over trademark infringement. As a young rapper, Lil Nas X has a long career ahead of him. Apparently, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Drake’s career.
Drake’s career: from acting to rapping
RELATED: What is Drake’s net worth, and how does the rapper earn his money?
Aubrey Drake Graham, born in 1986 in Canada, did not start his career as fast as many contemporary musicians. Instead, he went to the camera and started in the Canadian teen program Degrassi: the next generation. Graham plays a character named Jimmy Brooks, a high school athlete who was shot by a classmate and consequently became physically disabled. He appeared on the program between 2001 and 2008 and appeared in a total of 100 episodes.
In 2006, Drake released his first mixtape, Room for improvement before releasing a few more mixtures. Drake made his musical breakthrough in 2010 with the release of his first album Thank you later. Since then, he has released four more albums, with another one appearing in April 2021. Each of his albums tops the Canadian and American charts. According to IMDb, Drake has also served as executive producer of several projects, including the HBO show Euphoria, a drama starring Zendaya.
RELATED: Lil Nas X Had the Perfect Response to Homophobic Rapper Who Mocked His Grammy Appearance
During his career, Lil Nas X has never looked like anyone else. That seems to have been his goal, citing Drake’s career as one he hopes to pursue. In a video released from Vogue. Lil Nas X notes that ‘When I think of the direction I want to take in my career, I think of Drake. How does he always manage to keep moving, you know? Lil Nas X continues: ‘He manages to stay up to date without being like everyone else. He’s still Drake, and he’s always coming out on top. ‘Time will tell if Lil Nas X is able to follow in Drake’s footsteps, but so far he seems to be on the right track.