American rap artist Lil Nas X performing at a music festival in 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Credit: © Denise Truscello, Getty Images

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

Lil Nas X rode in on his horse on the “Old Town Road” and became a star. He is an American rap music artist. He gained widespread fame for his first single, the country music and rap hit “Old Town Road” (2018) and its 2019 remix featuring the American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. The song enjoyed success on the country music charts, marking an unprecedented feat for an African American rapper. In 2020, Lil Nas X and Cyrus shared a Grammy Award for best pop duo/group performance for the song.

Montero Lamar Hill was born on April 9, 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up with an interest in music, briefly playing the trumpet. After graduating high school in 2017, he attended the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, west of Atlanta, for one year. He tried comedy writing, then began working to establish his musical career.

Hill began releasing singles under the name Lil Nas X on the music-sharing website SoundCloud. Nas was Hill’s internet alias (online name). He added Lil before Nas as a joke, because many rap artists at the time had stage names beginning with Lil. He added X to represent the Roman numeral 10, because he believed it would be 10 years before he became known as a “legendary performer.” Shortly before the release of “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X released a mixtape titled Nasarati (2018). In hip-hop culture, a mixtape is an independently produced recording, often distributed for free. In December 2018, Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road” under SoundCloud’s country category. The song blended elements of rap and hip-hop music with tones and themes from country music. “Old Town Road” gained rapid popularity when it was featured on the social media video-sharing service TikTok.

In March 2019, “Old Town Road” entered the Hot Country Songs chart, published by the magazine Billboard. The placement of a rap song on the country charts proved controversial. Billboard later moved the single to its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Some critics attributed the move to racism among the overwhelmingly white country music establishment. Recording a remix with Cyrus, an established country musician, boosted the song’s country appeal. The remixed version returned the song to the country charts. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, remaining on the chart for a record-breaking 19 weeks.

Lil Nas X signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 2019. The same year, he released his first EP, 7 EP. EP is short for extended play, a collection of recordings somewhat shorter than a full-length album. 7 EP also included the song “Rodeo,” featuring the American rap artist Cardi B. Lil Nas X followed up 7 EP with the single “Panini” (2019), which reached the top 10 on the Billboard “Hot 100″ chart. In 2021, his single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” debuted at number one on the chart.

American musician Jon Batiste
Credit: © Ron Adar, Shutterstock

For the 64th time, musicians gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, April 3rd to celebrate the past year‘s music. The Grammy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. South African comedian and television personality Trevor Noah hosted the awards show. American jazz pianist Jon Batiste won album of the year for “We Are,” in addition to 4 more of the 11 awards for which he was nominated. R&B duo Silk Sonic won record of the year for “Leave the Door Open.” American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo won three awards. She walked away from her first Grammy Awards after winning best new artist, best pop solo performance, and best pop vocal album. Doja Cat and SZA won best pop duo or group performance for “Kiss Me More.” Although Kanye West was not in attendance, he and Jay-Z won best rap song for “Jail.” In the rock genre, the Foo Fighters stole the show—winning best rock performance, best rock song, and best rock album only a week after the loss of their drummer Taylor Hawkins. Billie Eilish performed “Happier than Ever” wearing a T-shirt with the photograph of Hawkins. BTS performed their hit song “Butter” with a James Bond theme. Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lil Nas X performed among other artists.

American entertainer Olivia Rodrigo
Credit: © Tinseltown, Shutterstock

The Grammy Awards are presented annually in the United States to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences. Grammys currently are awarded in more than 80 categories in pop, rock, country, jazz, blues, gospel, folk, rap, Latin, and classical music, as well as engineering, producing, and music videos. Lifetime achievement awards are also presented by the Academy to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Winners receive awards modeled after an old-fashioned record player called a gramophone. The term Grammy comes from the word gramophone.

American musician Billie Eilish in concert
Credit: © Ben Houdijk, Shutterstock

To be eligible for a Grammy, recordings must have been released during a one-year eligibility period defined by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Members of the Academy and record companies submit entries, which are screened for eligibility and category placement. The Academy’s voting members nominate five finalists in each category. Members then vote for the winners. The Academy consists of musicians, producers, and other recording professionals.

Members of the South Korean pop group BTS are, left to right, front row: Suga and V. Back row: J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook.
Credit: © RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

The first Grammys were awarded in 1958. Since 1971, the Grammy Awards have been presented on a live television special. Today, the special is watched by many millions of viewers throughout the world. In 1997, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences was established as a separate organization with its own awards ceremony. The first Latin Grammys were awarded in 2000. Latin Grammys recognize excellence in international Latin music in more than 45 categories. Latin Grammys are selected by voting members of the Latin Recording Academy and follow many of the same rules as the other Grammys.

American rap artist Lil Nas X
Credit: © Denise Truscello, Getty Images