Lil Nas X surprises Ohio elementary school kids with "Old Town Road" performance
Like many kids, the students at Lander Elementary School outside of Cleveland, Ohio, love Lil Nas X. In fact, they love the rapper-turned-country singer so much, the whole school danced to his hit single "Old Town Road" during their talent show last week.
After seeing a video of the school wilding out to his song, Lil Nas X decided to treat his fans to a surprise. He showed up at the school for a special performance on Wednesday, and the kids couldn't get enough of him.
As Lil Nas X hummed the beat, the kids geared up to sing — or rather, scream — the lyrics. Then, they let loose, jumping up and down and belting out "Old Town Road."
The singer dressed the part, wearing a cowboy hat and denim jacket with "Old Town Road" written across the back, just below the suede fringe. While kids across the U.S. can't get enough of his rap-country hybrid, the song wasn't well received at first.
Billboard sparked controversy when it removed the song from the country chart after it debuted at No. 3. Their reason was that the genre-blending hit "does not embrace enough elements of today's country music to chart in its current version," Billboard said in a statement.
Lil Nas X responded on Genius.com. "I started to think about it, I was like, you know, why? After like listening to other songs that's actually on that chart, it's like, wait a minute, something's not right, basically," Lil Nas X said.
The song merges a rap beat and country-themed lyrics. The words of the song were enough to convince country singer Billy Ray Cyrus that it was, in fact, a country song. ""I thought, it's honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need?" Cyrus tweeted after the debate over the song's genre spread online.
Cyrus ended up joining Lil Nas X on a remix of the song, adding even more of a country flair.
The remixed version of the song currently has more than 170 million views on YouTube. It's No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been on the chart for 12 weeks. So it's no wonder why an entire school full of children celebrated Lil Nas X so passionately.
