From Publishers Weekly: A New Road for Lil Nas X: His Debut Children’s Book ‘C Is for Country‘… Support our news coverage by subscribing to our Kindle Nation Daily Digest. Joining is free right now!
Grammy-winning, boldly stylish music artist Lil Nas X, creator of the smash hit country-rap song “Old Town Road,” has made his children’s publishing debut with the alphabet picture book C Is for Country, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III (Random House). The work stars a young Black cowboy and his trusty pony Panini on an adventure-filled ride through an alphabet that showcases wide-open spaces and fun on the farm, a loving family, and a spirit of individuality.
Individuality certainly fueled Lil Nas X (born Montero Lamar Hill)’s rise to fame. He first made his name as an internet personality, creating popular memes and comedy videos on various social media platforms in the mid-2010s. By 2018 he had begun to focus more on music and in December of that year he released “Old Town Road,” a blending of trap (a Southern-flavored subgenre of hip-hop) and country. It became a viral sensation thanks to the memes he made to promote the song, and the #Yeehaw Challenge on TikTok, where millions of users—including lots of kids—dressed in their best cowboy/girl gear and used the song for their soundtrack. That success led to a contract with Columbia Records.
A remix of the song featuring vocals by country artist Billy Ray Cyrus was released in April 2019 and it soared to new heights, including awards recognition and the amassing of more than 12.5 million followers for Nas across online apps. Amid this flush of success Nas came out as gay. “Old Town Road (Remix)” went on to hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks and win two Grammys. On January 9, “Old Town Road (Remix)” was recognized as the highest certified song ever by the Recording Industry Association of America, reaching 14-times platinum. It’s been streamed 2.9 billion times in the U.S.
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