How Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” Broke Billboard‘s Most Esteemed Record

Lil Nas X Billy Ray Cyrus

Before “Despacito” happened in 2017, it had been over two decades since Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men‘s phenomenal record on the Billboard Hot 100 chart went untouched. “One Sweet Day” spent a remarkable 16 weeks in the No. 1 spot, from December 1995 to March 1996. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee were the first to ever parallel this record with a song that was already popular on Latin radio and got a game-changing boost from a Justin Bieber remix.

Surprisingly, it only took two short years for another musician to make history with a milestone that other top-tier artists couldn’t fathom reaching. In 2019, newcomer Lil Nas X did the unthinkable and broke Billboard‘s most esteemed record with “Old Town Road”. How could a newbie dethrone “One Sweet Day” when pop culture’s most prominent artists still struggle to come close? Let’s take a quick look at the factors:

Featured Image: Instagram (@billyraycyrus)