Lil Nas X, the country-rapper best known for his mega-hit “Old Town Road” has just been nominated for six Grammys, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist.
This honors Lil Nas X as the first openly gay rapper to be nominated for a top award in rap history. On top of his monumental Grammy nominations, he already made history earlier this month when he won a Country Music Award, becoming the first openly gay man to win a CMA ever.
So far, his hit single, “Old Town Road” has gained over 388 million views on YouTube, broke streaming records earlier this year, and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA, selling almost 1.5 million copies. The album the single was a part of, 7, has been certified Platinum.
Lil Nas X came out in June on social media, stating:
https://twitter.com/LilNasX/status/1145428812404068352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1145428812404068352&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpitchfork.com%2Fnews%2Flil-nas-x-comes-out-as-gay%2F
His tweet caused a frenzy and has since received over 100,000 comments, and over 550,000 likes. He became the first artist to come out with a #1 album on the charts. Luckily, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. And with his new Grammy nominations, its clear that the music industry respects his musical talents, regardless of his sexuality. To find out if he wins, tune in to the Grammy Awards, hosted by Alicia Keys on Jan. 26th, 2020. For a list of all of the Grammy nominees click here.
