It's February, which is when we observe Black History Month! This is Fandom's first Heritage Month celebration of the year, so make sure you check out their blog post on Community Central! For this Black History Month, we will go through some black artists that Lil Nas X has worked with and look into his career as a black and queer artist.
Observance[]
National Black History Month originated in 1915 when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. As the organization developed, the observance became the Negro History Week in February 1926. In 1975, President Ford issued a Message on the Observance of Black History Week urging all Americans to "recognize the important contribution made to our nation's life and culture by black citizens." A year later, Black History Week grew to become Black History Month, honoring Black Americans' contributions to American culture, accomplishments, traditions, and more.
Did you know that the United States isn't the only country to observe Black History Month? It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada and has also been observed in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. The United States and Canada happen to commemorate Black History Month in February, while European countries observe during March and October.
Black collaborators[]
Writers and producers[]
Featured artists[]
The experience of Lil Nas X[]
Montero Lamar Hill, known by his stage name Lil Nas X, was born on April 9, 1999 in Lithia Springs, Georgia. His teenage years were spent running a Nicki Minaj fan account on Twitter, where he would later go viral. When he was about 16 or 17, he finally accepted that he way gay after praying that it was a phase. On December 3, 2018, Lil Nas X officially released the song "Old Town Road". The country-rap song spent 19 weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record for most weeks at number one on the chart. While the song was gaining success, it was removed from Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart during the week it would have reached number one. This led to criticism of the consideration of non-white artists in the country genre. In a 2019 interview with Time, Lil Nas X was asked if he considered "Old Town Road" a country song. He responded, "The song is country trap. It’s not one, it’s not the other. It’s both. It should be on both [charts]."
On June 30, 2019, Lil Nas X came out publicly as gay. Although the general response was positive, homophobic backlash was also prominent on social media. On March 26, 2021, Lil Nas X released the single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" which is the lead single from his debut studio album "Montero". Its accompanying music video was denounced by many conservative Christians but it was seen as an unbound expression of queerness to others. The album's third single "Industry Baby" also faced criticism from homophobic communities. Despite this, both songs reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. By now, Lil Nas X has solidified himself as a strong force music. He is the recipient of many awards, such as two Grammy Awards and five MTV Video Music Awards. He was also the recipient of The Trevor Project's Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year award in 2021. Although many people try to take him down, Lil Nas X has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with.