Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' breaks Billboard Hot 100 record for most weeks at No. 1
Lil Nas X has proven all those remixes were worth it now that his single “Old Town Road” is the longest-running No. 1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
For 17 weeks, Lil Nas X’s fusion of country and trap has sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. That’s one week longer than previous record holders “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber and “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
Lil Nas X was quick to share the news first reported by Chart Data, a music industry blog, and confirmed later by Billboard. He followed that up with a celebratory tweet, writing “YEEE TF HAWWW” accompanied by a horse and lighting bolt emoji.
The musician later got more serious on Instagram posting photos that track the journey of “Old Town Road” to #1, with a caption that explains all the work he did to make the song a hit. “I am so thankful that this blessing has been placed upon me. This song has changed my life and the way i see the world around me in less than a year,” Lil Nas X added between many different emojis, before saying “it’s just the beginning!”
This achievement comes after “Old Town Road” initially struggled to stay on the country charts because the TikTok-incubated hit was deemed not to be country enough by Billboard. Lil Nas X remedied that situation by recruiting country star Billy Ray Cyrus to join him on the first remix, which in turn propelled the song up the Hot 100 chart.
Since the success of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix, Lil Nas X has recruited Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey, and RM of BTS to all contribute to several different remixes of the song.
On Monday night, Carey congratulated the rapper on the achievement, and tweeted that she was “sending love & congrats to @LilNasX on breaking one of the longest running records in music history!”
“We’ve been blessed to hold this record with a song that means a great deal to @BoyzIIMen and myself and has touched so many,” Carey also wrote. “Keep living your best life!”
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