Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Debuts On Billboard Country Airplay Charts

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After Billboard takes down "Old Town Road" from the Hot Country Songs chart, it makes its debut on the Billboard Country Airplay charts.

Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" is currently the number one song in the country. "Old Town Road" has made waves over the past few weeks, largely due to Billboard's controversial move to pull it from the country charts for not being country enough. The backlash is faced helped Lil Nas X gain international recognition and support, leading Billy Ray Cyrus to hop on the remix. After the success of its remix, it looks like it's been making a serious amount of spins on the country radio stations across America.

According to Billboard, "Old Town Road" has entered Billboard's Country Airplay chart at #53 with 1 million in audience, via 140 plays on 35 reporters. The publication points out that its entry onto the chart has everything to do with actual stats regarding its radio spins on country stations rather than how the song is classified as a genre. 

"The song's profile first swelled thanks in part to TikTok videos and other viral memes, while subsequent attention has centered on its removal after a week on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart (dated March 16)," it reads. "Hot Country Songs, based on airplay, streaming and sales, requires Billboard to designate songs for inclusion based on genre fit; Country Airplay, however, as well as Rhythmic Songs and Pop Songs, purely reflects plays on reporting stations."

There's been speculation that the song will maintain its position on the Billboard Hot 100 next week as well.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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