UPDATE/CORRECTION: Lil Nas X's team has reached out to us to confirm that the Lil Nas X did not run a Nicki Minaj fanpage, despite Billboard's initial reports.
You might recall hearing the combined words "Lil Nas X" coming into fruition months ago. A meme song bearing that name in its title effectively caused a minor sensation in the gaming community, before becoming a fully-fledged song on its own merit. Welcome to "Old Town Road," population: subterranean numbers too numerous to count.
Well, as it turns out, the jokes was on us. Soon after posting the song on YouTube Lil Nas X managed to clinch the Number One spot on the Country charts, without a shred of "honky tonk" to his name. "Old Town Road" is in essence just the barebone rap songs.
The visualizer for "Old Town Road" came loaded with footage of gameplay taken from Red Dead Redemption 2. All things considered: the early chart success and his virality, Lil Nas X was able to convince more than a few record labels that he was a sound investment, with Columbia Records ultimately making the offer that suited him best.
X's success manifested itself, in the manner in which "Internet phenomena" often chooses its conveyor at random. Even so, there's still a story behind this meme-maker that's begging to be told, or retold depending on the audience.
In the case of Lil Nas X, we find ourselves face to face with a normal being who dropped out of a music school, released a debut project last year on SoundCloud, and somehow managed the improbable. Put it this way: X is only a few months removed from managing Nicki Minaj Barbz fan page under the handle Nas Maraj. Thanks to his freshly-inked deal, Lil Nas X stands a good chance of surpassing the 15 minute-mark in fame. Are you not completely sold?