Honestly, if you still think Lil Nas X is just that "Old Town Road" guy with the catchy cowboy hat, you're missing about 90% of the story. It’s 2026. The music landscape has shifted. We’ve moved past the novelty of 2019 and into something much more complex—and frankly, much weirder. Montero Hill didn’t just break the Billboard charts; he basically took the blueprints for how a pop star is supposed to behave and set them on fire.
People love to argue about whether his success is fueled by talent or just top-tier trolling. It’s a bit of both. But when you actually sit down and listen to the full catalog of Lil Nas X songs, you realize there’s a massive gap between the "industry plant" accusations and the actual artistry happening in the studio.
The "One-Hit Wonder" Myth That Won’t Die
Remember when everyone said he’d be gone by Christmas 2019? That didn't happen. "Old Town Road" wasn't just a song; it was a cultural glitch. It stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks, a record that stood unchallenged until Shaboozey tied it in 2024. But here’s the thing: most people forget how much the industry tried to kill that song before it even breathed.
When Billboard removed it from the Hot Country Songs chart because it didn't "embrace enough elements of today’s country music," they accidentally gave him the best marketing campaign in history. He didn't complain. He just called Billy Ray Cyrus. That's the Lil Nas X playbook: take a barrier and turn it into a bridge.
If you look at the numbers today, "Old Town Road" is sitting at over 17x Platinum. It’s a behemoth. But it’s also the song that almost trapped him. Most artists would have spent the next five years trying to write "Old Town Road 2." Instead, he went in the exact opposite direction. He got personal. He got loud. And he got very, very gay.
Why Montero Changed the Conversation
In 2021, we got the MONTERO album. This wasn't just a collection of radio hits; it was a vulnerability dump. Songs like "SUN GOES DOWN" were a punch in the gut. He was literally singing about being a closeted kid in Georgia praying for God to take his "gay thoughts" away. It’s heavy stuff.
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Compare that to the chaotic energy of "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)." That song caused an absolute meltdown. You had politicians and religious leaders losing their minds over a music video where he gives the devil a lap dance. But if you look past the shock value, the song is a masterclass in pop-rock production.
- INDUSTRY BABY: A defiant "I told you so" featuring Jack Harlow. It’s currently sitting at over 2.3 billion streams on Spotify.
- THATS WHAT I WANT: A surprisingly straightforward pop-punk track about just wanting someone to love. It proved he could play the "traditional" pop game better than the veterans.
- LOST IN THE CITADEL: This is the deep cut that fans actually care about. It’s got this driving 80s synth-pop vibe that sounds nothing like the "yeehaw" rapper people expected.
He wasn't just making music for TikTok challenges anymore. He was building a world. He even released a children's book, C Is for Country, which became a bestseller. The guy is everywhere.
The 2024 Resurgence and the "J Christ" Backlash
For a while, things got quiet. After the Long Live Montero tour wrapped up in early 2023, there was a gap. Then came 2024. He dropped "J Christ" in January, and the internet did what it does best: it got angry.
The imagery of him on a cross was, for many, a bridge too far. He even had to go on record in a Rolling Stone interview admitting he "messed up really bad" with some of the promotional choices. But the song itself? It was a hard-hitting collaboration with Gesaffelstein. It was dark. It was aggressive. It peaked at 59 on the Hot 100—not a world-beater, but it signaled that he wasn't done being the industry's main antagonist.
The Dreamboy Era
By the time we hit 2025, the vibe shifted again. This is where he really started to experiment with his "Dreamboy" persona.
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In March 2025, he dropped the EP Days Before Dreamboy. It was an eight-track collection that felt like a fever dream. You had "HOTBOX," which featured this incredibly seductive, pink-hued music video, and "LIGHT AGAIN!," which leaned into high-energy dance territory.
These aren't just "Lil Nas X songs" anymore; they are installments in a long-running performance art piece.
The Impact Nobody Talks About
We need to talk about the "Industry Plant" thing. It’s the most common criticism thrown at him. People see the high-budget videos and the massive social media presence and assume it’s all manufactured by Columbia Records.
The reality is actually more interesting. Before he was a rapper, he was a Twitter power user. He ran Nicki Minaj fan accounts. He knew how to make things go viral before he ever stepped into a recording booth. He didn't need a label to teach him how to use the internet; he taught the label.
He also paved the way for a specific kind of "genre-less" artist. Look at the charts in 2026. You see artists like Shaboozey or Post Malone floating between country, rap, and pop without anyone batting an eye. That doesn't happen without the groundwork laid by Lil Nas X songs. He forced Billboard to look at how they categorize music, even if they did it kicking and screaming.
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The Recent Health Scare
It’s worth noting that it hasn't all been chart-topping wins. In April 2025, fans were genuinely worried when he was hospitalized after losing control of the right side of his face. It turned out to be a case of partial facial paralysis. He handled it with his usual humor on social media, but it was a reminder that the person behind the "Montero" persona is, well, human.
What to Listen to Right Now
If you’re trying to catch up on the essential Lil Nas X songs and want to go beyond the TikTok hits, here is where you should start. Don't just stick to the singles.
- "Life After Salem" – If you want to hear him do distorted, grunge-inspired rock, this is it. It’s dark and moody.
- "TALES OF DOMINICA" – This is probably his most underrated track. It’s a soft, acoustic-leaning song about feeling like everything is falling apart while the world thinks you're winning.
- "HOTBOX" – This is the peak of his 2025 sound. It’s smooth, catchy, and has a production quality that makes "Old Town Road" sound like a demo.
- "SUN GOES DOWN" – Listen to this if you want to understand the actual person, Montero Hill. It’s the emotional core of his entire career.
Lil Nas X has survived the "one-hit wonder" curse, the "satanic" panics, and the pressure of a sophomore slump. His new album Dreamboy, which arrived in early 2026, is currently redefining what queer pop looks like in a post-genre world.
The smartest thing you can do when approaching his discography is to stop looking for a "country" artist or a "rapper." He’s a curator. He’s a troll. He’s a songwriter. Most importantly, he’s someone who knows exactly how to keep us talking.
If you want to keep up with the latest, check out his Days Before Dreamboy EP on Spotify or Apple Music. It’s the bridge between the old Montero and the new era. Also, keep an eye on his YouTube channel for the Dreamboy: Phase 1 trailers—they’re basically short films at this point.