On April 9, 1999, a boy was born to Robert Stafford and Tamikia Hill, who was named Montero Lamar (Lil Nas X).
Childhood and youth of Lil Nas X
The family, who lived in Atlanta (Georgia), could not imagine that the child would become famous. The municipal area in which they lived for 6 years was not very conducive to the development of the boy's positive qualities. And the parents' divorce in 2005 only aggravated the situation, negatively affecting the character of a 6-year-old boy.
The future rapper, along with the brothers Tramon and Lamarco, remained in the care of his mother. Grandma supported me as much as she could. But female education could not keep the uncontrollable and wayward guy.
The outlook was bleak. To protect her son from bad company, Tamikiya decided to send him to his father (Robert).
In 2009, he ended up in Austell, a small town (a suburb of Cobb County). Montero Lamar Hill was 10 years old. His father had a new wife, Mia. The woman accepted the boy as her own, and took up his upbringing. She helped him in his studies, supported his hobbies.
His father did not play music professionally, but he had a certain gift. The song, composed and performed by him at the funeral of a friend, moved everyone to tears.
And Robert began to receive offers to speak at ceremonial events. And Montero learned to play the trumpet and from the 4th grade he led the school orchestra. However, worried about his status among his peers, he stopped doing it. Maintaining the image of a "tough guy" did not give him rest.
Choosing a profession for a future artist
After graduating from high school in 2017, thanks to his caring stepmother, Montero entered the University of West Georgia in the department of IT technologies. She made significant efforts to ensure that the young man received a grant to continue his studies. But he was not very interested in the possibility of obtaining an academic education.
The guy was interested in the possibility of creating and "promoting" himself as a media personality. Even in his school years, he made the first attempts to popularize his work via the Internet - from publishing comedy short films on Facebook and Vine to maintaining a fan page for the popular American rap artist Nicki Minaj. And his excessive activity in social networks was noticed.
This activity was not very suitable for the image of an exemplary student. He spent a lot of time with her. There was no time to go to college. And after the first semester, the future country rap star was expelled from the university.
This event caused resentment in the family, but Montero was unshakable. His desire to take his place in the constellation of rap artists was not understood and supported by close relatives.
Both father and stepmother believed that even without Hill there were many rappers and that he would not be able to compete with famous performers. Nobody but Montero believed in his success.
The rise of Lil Nas X: Old Town Road
Embarking on the "stormy seas" of show business, the aspiring performer decided to take on a stage name. His guiding star was the rapper Nas, who was awarded several Grammy awards and recognized by MTV as a famous MC.
Montero Lamar Hill became Lil Nas X. And his first experience was the Nasarati mixtape, published on the online platform SoundCloud on July 24, 2018.
And already on December 3, the single Old Town Road was released. He became a "breakthrough" both in the history of music and in the career of an artist.
The video clip, which includes popular memes, appeared on the Internet thanks to TikTok and conquered it.
Having hit the Billboard Hot 2019 chart at the beginning of 100, the composition instantly hit the top of the charts from the 83rd position. But already in March it was removed due to inconsistency with the country style.
However, the song, containing elements of rap and industrial rock, was recognized by the public and Billy Ray Cyrus. Thanks to his support and participation, another version of this song was recorded.
The song reappeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and topped it.
A full-fledged video clip for this song, released in May 2019, gained millions of views, and the author gained worldwide fame. And the composition, which was the leader in the chart for 13 weeks, broke records previously owned by Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, and was awarded the Grammy Award.
Personal life of Montero Lamar Hill
The artist has no relationships and novels. Lil Nas X shocked the audience. He stated about being gay and indicated that the lines of the song C7osure are dedicated to this. In addition to the personal confession of the musician, published on Twitter, there is no confirmation of this fact.
Fans do not exclude that this statement was made for the sake of PR. The artist is known for his ability to make the most of any "hype".
The artist is considered the creator of a new musical style of country rap. Today he collaborates with Diplo, BTS (Korea), Sky Jackson, Cardi B, Travis Barker, etc.
Singer Lil Nas X in 2021
At the end of March 2021, the presentation of the video for the song Montero (Call Me By Your Name) took place. The video was directed by Tanya Muinho.
In 2021, the rapper's full-length LP was released. The record was called Montero. The tracklist includes 13 tracks. On guest verses: Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat, Jack harlow и Elton John. The rapper described the debut album as "more personal" yet "biting".
