Fri. October 22, 2021
Montero Lamar Hill, most popularly known as Lil Nas X, has made a little LGBTQ history in the music world. Spotify reported that the Black gay entertainer surpassed DaBaby as the most-streamed rapper on the music platform.
Lil Nas X clocked in 52 million listeners on Spotify. According to the streaming behemoth, he's also the twelfth most popular, by number of listeners, entertainer on Spotify.
His 2021 track called "Industry Baby" drove the numbers to their height.
"Wow, this is insane," Lil Nas X responded on Twitter. "This is the most I've ever had in my career. Thank you to everybody listening."
The news comes at the heels of related controversies surrounding DaBaby getting cancelled by industry supporters, advertisers, and music audiences for homophobic and transphobic comments at a Florida summer concert.
Comic Dave Chappell was dragged by LGBTQ advocates for defending DaBaby and further diving into his own anti-transgender biases in a Netflix special that dropped October 5. The streaming company Netflix was in turn dragged for giving Chappelle a platform to make the comments.
Lil Nas X has been completely open about being Black and gay and the challenges of being at the intersection of those two identities.
Detractors inside and outside the music industry argue that he's "garbage" and that he represents "junk music."
"F*ck 'em," one Twitter account expressed about the haters. "They'll find any reason to tear down the accomplishments of a Black man... a gay man."
Lil Nas X gained his fame from a country rap single called "Old Town Road" in 2019. It was on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for 19 weeks.
At the 2020 Grammy Awards, Lil Nas X was the most nominated artist. He ended up winning Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
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