Lil Nas X Admits He Didn’t Like ‘Old Town Road’ for Years

Back in 2019, nothing was bigger — or more controversial — in country music than Lil Nas X‘s viral hit, “Old Town Road.”

The Atlanta-based rapper blazed onto the country social media space with the song, which paired a hip-hop beat with traditional country lyricism and imagery, and “Old Town Road” quickly began to organically rise up the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart — until Billboard removed it from consideration, deciding that the song wasn’t sufficiently country to merit inclusion on the chart.

What ensued was a hot debate about what exactly defines a song as country, and whether Billboard‘s decision had more to do with race than it did with the song itself. Billy Ray Cyrus got involved in a remix, and everyone from Jason Aldean to Keith Urban to Sam Elliott name-checked the song with covers, mentions and social media posts.

Amid all the controversy and hype, Lil Nas X says he felt a little embarrassed of his big hit. In a new TikTok post, the rapper shares a cheeky reflection admitting that he thought the song was “cringe” — and saying he’s got a different perspective on it now, five years later.

“Me suddenly realizing I spent 5 years thinking my own song was cringe because ugly losers who will never make anything as great and game-changing as it got into my head,” he wrote in the post. over a video of himself dancing to the Billy Ray Cyrus remix of “Old Town Road.”

What Is “Old Town Road”‘s Legacy in Country Music?

• Lil Nas X wasn’t exaggerating when he said his viral, controversial hit was “game-changing.”
• The song helped open a country audience’s minds to the idea of a mainstream chart crossover between hip-hop and country. Though there was certainly a precedent of collaboration between the genres — such as hits from Cowboy Troy and the hick-hop subgenre — few songs from that world were ever as popular as “Old Town Road.”
• Since 2019, country music has seen a massive uptick in hit songs released by Black artists in general. It’s also seen an increase in hip-hop-informed hits such as Blanco Brown‘s “The Git Up” and Breland‘s “My Truck.”
• Artists like Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll have frequently collaborated with artists from the hip-hop space, and Wallen has been in the studio with rapper Post Malone as Post readies his country album.
• In 2024, Beyoncé dropped a full country project, which digs deep into the history of the genre and emphasizes the contributions made by Black performers and R&B and hip-hop sounds.
• Most recently, Shaboozey hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country charts — breaking a record in the process — with his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which borrows from J-Kwon’s 2004 rap smash, “Tipsy.”

“Cringe” or not, the success of “Old Town Road” has been long-lasting and undeniable. In 2021, it became the most Platinum-certified song in the history of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.)

It’s also one of only eight country songs to ever sell more than 10 million copies.