Old Town Road

Montero Lamar Hill, known professionally as Lil Nas X, recorded Old Town Road in a single day after purchasing an instrumental beat for thirty dollars. He layered trap drums over a banjo sample taken from Nine Inch Nails' "34 Ghosts IV" to create a sound that defied standard categorization. The track first gained traction on SoundCloud and spread rapidly through TikTok challenges before Columbia Records signed the artist and pushed the song into the mainstream.

A remix featuring country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus arrived on April 5, 2019, adding distinct twang to the hip-hop foundation. This collaboration solidified the song's crossover appeal and sparked intense debate regarding genre gatekeeping. Billboard removed the original version from its Hot Country Songs chart in March 2019, arguing it lacked sufficient country elements despite heavy rotation on country radio.

The controversy only fueled the song's ascent to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the number one position for nineteen consecutive weeks between April and September 2019. It topped charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom while earning sixteen-times platinum certification from the RIAA. Critics praised the track's innovation and cultural impact, though some remained skeptical of its classification. [edit]