When Lil Nas X dropped his breakout hit “Old Town Road,” many of us pegged him as just another meme rapper. It was clear that the young artist was not taking himself seriously, penning a country-rap banger likely after finishing Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story mode. In the weeks following its release, “Old Town Road” was the subject of much discussion after it was removed from the Billboard Country charts. This week, LNX introduced Billy Ray Cyrus, a country legend, to the remix, which has been a huge success, hitting the top spot on Apple Music’s chart. With a return to the country chart imminent, Lil Nas X is capitalizing on his newfound notoriety, doing press and finally explaining how he came up with his name.

Much of his meme appeal stems from his name. Lil Nas X just doesn’t sound like something a serious person would go by as they chase after their dreams of succeeding in the music industry. It sounds like some kid took three of his favorite rappers, jammed their names together and called it a day. During an interview with Beats 1, LNX spoke about his stage name, revealing that he’s actually had this moniker for a while. 

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“It’s been my internet alias for a minute,” said the rapper, referring to the name Nas. “The X wasn’t included at first. It was just Lil Nas. It was Lil Nas because when I first started rapping I wasn’t as serious so it was like, ‘Okay, every rapper’s name is starting with Lil lately.’ So I kind of got stuck with it. I added the X later on after I was more serious. It would stand for the amount of years, I felt, until I’m at the status where I’m considered legendary.”

Do you think LNX should have gone with a different name or does this suit him?

[via]