Lil Nas X is continuing to make the most out of his viral success, turning the newfound attention into a lucrative career.
As reported, the Atlanta singer, songwriter and rapper has signed a new deal with CAA for worldwide representation. Since the December 2018 release of his breakout hit “Old Town Road,” the 20-year-old has found himself catapulted into the spotlight, garnering cosigns from the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, Will Smith and even some criticism from Dave East.
During his rise to prominence, the singer found himself at the center of controversy. As previously reported, after first being included on the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, Billboard made the decision to pull the song from the country genre ranking. The chart explained that his inclusion on the country charts was a mistake, due to his genre-bending song not being “country enough.”
Lil Nas X responded brilliantly, enlisting country veteran Billy Ray Cyrus for an official remix of the infectious track. Since then, his track has been streamed over 300 million times worldwide. As it stands, his song currently is sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the sixth consecutive week.
In addition to sparking a dialogue about genre classifications, the single also broke a record previously held by Drake, garnering the most amount of streams in a week’s time.
Per Billboard, the Columbia Records will continue to be managed by Adam Leber, Gee Roberson and Zach Kardisch at Maverick Management and David Jacobs at Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.
During a recent conversation with Audiomack, Lil Nas X admitted he started making music only a year ago because he was “bored.”
“Almost one year ago, I got bored and made my first song,” he shared. “Around my fifth song, I was like… I’m ready to take this seriously. It was almost like something, like… I never had something I was really into, but when this came along? I got this.”
He also explained how the internet played a direct role in shaping his music tastes.
“I grew up off the Internet, so my influences come from all over musically” he added. “From underground SoundCloud rappers to Andre 3000, Kendrick, to even like Lil Uzi Vert. I don’t have a specific influence in my music. That’s what people will realize when they hear my full album.”
Congrats to Lil Nas X on his new representation deal!