Lil Nas X’s net worth is estimated at $9 million as of 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That figure is built primarily on one extraordinary debut: “Old Town Road,” a song he recorded for $50 total and which went on to spend a record 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He was 19 years old when it happened.
Since then, he has released a critically acclaimed debut album, won two Grammy Awards, and ignited cultural debates with nearly every new video he’s dropped. He carved out a lane in pop music that genuinely didn’t exist before him. Here’s a full look at his story — where he came from, what he’s released, and how his money actually breaks down.
Early Life: Growing Up as Montero Lamar Hill
Lil Nas X was born Montero Lamar Hill on April 9, 1999, in Lithia Springs, Georgia, a suburb on the western edge of Atlanta. His parents — Tamikia Hill and Robert Stafford — divorced when he was six, and for several years he lived with his mother and his brothers, Lamarco and Tramon.
The divorce hit hard. By his own account he became a difficult kid, and when his mother struggled to manage him, 10-year-old Montero moved in with his father in the nearby town of Austell. His father had remarried by then. His stepmother, Mia Stafford, pushed to get him into college and helped him work through financial aid applications and grants.
At school, Hill was briefly in the orchestra — he took up trumpet and led the school band — before quitting because, as he later admitted, he worried it made him look uncool. After graduating high school, he enrolled at the University of West Georgia but lasted one semester. The internet had become his real education.
Between roughly 2015 and 2018, Hill was deep in social media, learning how memes spread and what made content travel. He ran fan accounts and spent hours studying what caught people’s attention online. His father and stepmother, understandably frustrated that he had walked away from college, didn’t share his confidence that any of this was a path to anything. They were wrong.
Old Town Road: The $30 Beat That Broke Records
In October 2018, an Atlanta teenager with no record deal and no radio play bought an instrumental from Dutch producer YoungKio for $30 on the website BeatStars. The beat sampled Nine Inch Nails’ “34 Ghosts IV” and had a banjo loop that sounded like nothing else on the internet. Montero Hill spent another $20 recording vocals at a discount Atlanta studio and uploaded “Old Town Road” to SoundCloud and YouTube in December 2018.
The song was practically built for TikTok. By early 2019, the “Yeehaw Challenge” had turned it into a meme format that millions of users ran with, and streams exploded. By mid-March 2019, “Old Town Road” had climbed onto Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart — and then, just as quickly, Billboard pulled it, saying it didn’t sufficiently fit the country genre.
The removal sparked a national conversation about race, genre gatekeeping, and who gets to define country music. Lil Nas X called it racially motivated. Whether or not that was the full story, the controversy generated the kind of attention that can’t be bought — and it caught the ear of Billy Ray Cyrus.
Billy Ray Cyrus, the Remix, and 19 Weeks at Number One
In May 2019, Billy Ray Cyrus — country royalty, Miley’s dad, beloved by multiple generations of American radio listeners — joined Lil Nas X on an official remix. “Old Town Road” re-entered the Hot Country Songs chart and shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed. And stayed. And stayed.
The song spent 19 consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100, shattering the previous record of 16 weeks, which had been held jointly by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” (1995–96) and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber (2017). Billboard documented every week of that run. When the record fell, Mariah Carey personally congratulated him on Twitter.
The full official music video, directed with heavy visual nods to Donald Glover’s TV series Atlanta, premiered on YouTube in May 2019. The clip stood out partly for what wasn’t in it — no weapons, no ostentatious wealth, none of the standard rap video signifiers. It was funny, strange, and genuinely inventive. It made a star out of a 20-year-old who, months earlier, had been sleeping on his sister’s couch.
The stage name Lil Nas X was chosen as a nod to rapper Nas, widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s most precise and literary lyricists, and ranked first on MTV’s list of the greatest MCs of all time.
EP 7 and Six Grammy Nominations
In June 2019, Lil Nas X released his debut EP, 7, a seven-track project that included “Old Town Road,” “Panini,” “C7osure,” and “Rodeo” featuring Cardi B. The track “F9mily (You & Me)” featured Travis Barker. Rolling Stone placed the EP second on its year-end best albums list.
The music video for “Panini” starred Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson and was set in a futuristic cityscape widely compared to the 1982 film Blade Runner. The premise — a celebrity endlessly pursued by a fan who only became interested after fame arrived — doubled as wry self-commentary on his own sudden visibility.
The EP earned six Grammy nominations heading into the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in January 2020. He won two: Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, both for “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. At the ceremony he performed in a sprawling medley alongside Billy Ray Cyrus, BTS, Diplo, Mason Ramsey, and rapper Nas — an event that turned the Staples Center briefly into a Western-meets-K-pop spectacle and ended with Nas himself proclaiming, “Big Nas and Lil Nas!”
Coming Out: The Last Day of Pride Month
On June 30, 2019 — the final day of Pride Month — Lil Nas X came out publicly on Twitter. He pointed fans to his track “C7osure,” which touches on letting go of the past and making peace with who you are, and added a rainbow emoji that removed any ambiguity. “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more,” he wrote. “But before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure.”
The announcement drew backlash from parts of the hip-hop community, which has historically been hostile to openly queer artists. It also brought genuine support from a global LGBTQ+ audience and marked him as something more than a viral hitmaker — a cultural figure carrying real weight for a lot of people. With his Grammy win in 2020, he became the first openly queer Black man to win in the Grammy pop field.
The Montero Era (2021)
If “Old Town Road” made Lil Nas X famous, the Montero era made clear he intended to operate on his own terms — uncomfortable terms, if necessary.
On March 26, 2021, he released “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” a song addressed to a former boyfriend, with a video depicting Lil Nas X in the Garden of Eden, descending to Hell on a glittering stripper pole, and giving Satan a lap dance before claiming his crown. The backlash from religious groups and parents was immediate. His response was equally direct: “I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the shit y’all preached would happen to me because i was gay. so i hope u are mad, stay mad.”
Alongside the video, he released “Satan Shoes” — modified Nike Air Max 97s made in collaboration with art collective MSCHF, featuring a pentagram charm and reportedly a drop of human blood in the sole. Only 666 pairs were produced, priced at $1,018 each. Nike sued. Lil Nas X had already sold out.
His debut album Montero followed in September 2021 and included two number-one hits: “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow, a brass-driven anthem produced by Kanye West and Take A Daytrip. “That’s What I Want” also charted, peaking at number eight on the Hot 100. The album was explicitly autobiographical — named after himself, and addressed in part to the teenager he had been before he came out.
Dreamboy and Current Projects
Since Montero, Lil Nas X has been building toward a second album. In November 2024, he released “Light Again!” as the lead single, followed quickly by “Need Dat Boy.” Early 2025 brought “Hotbox” and “Lean on My Body.” An eight-track EP called Days Before Dreamboy arrived on March 28, 2025, previewing the sound of the full project. The album Dreamboy is expected through Columbia Records, with production credits including Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk alongside his longtime collaborators Take A Daytrip.
Lil Nas X Net Worth: How He Earns His Money
Estimates place Lil Nas X’s net worth at approximately $9 million as of 2026. “Old Town Road” alone generated an estimated $14 million in gross revenue through streaming, licensing, and merchandise — though how much reached him personally depends on his deal structure with Columbia Records. His income draws from several streams:
- Streaming royalties — “Old Town Road” has accumulated well over a billion streams across platforms, and the Montero album added two more chart-topping singles with substantial catalogues behind them.
- Touring and live performance — His live show has grown more elaborate with each album cycle, with headline and festival dates commanding significant fees.
- Brand partnerships — Early work with Wrangler fit the “Old Town Road” moment naturally; subsequent deals have broadened his commercial footprint.
- Merchandise — Including the Satan Shoes collaboration, which sold a run of 666 pairs at $1,018 each in a matter of minutes.
- Publishing catalog — As both writer and performer on his biggest hits, he holds publishing rights that generate ongoing income well beyond what shows up in streaming numbers.
The $9 million estimate is considered conservative by some analysts given the difficulty of valuing private royalty income and publishing rights, but it’s the most consistently reported figure across financial tracking outlets as of 2026.
Personal Life
Lil Nas X has been open about his sexuality since 2019, and his personal life threads directly through his music in a way that’s unusual in mainstream pop. The Montero album was explicitly dedicated to the version of himself he had to suppress as a teenager growing up gay in a religious household in the American South. He has spoken publicly about anxiety and mental health, framing much of his provocation not as shock tactics but as something he had to do for himself.
He remains close with his father, Robert Stafford, who came around after initial skepticism about his son’s career. His stepmother Mia Stafford — who was furious when he walked away from college after one semester — has also figured in interviews as part of the before-and-after story of how unlikely all of this was.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lil Nas X’s real name?
His legal name is Montero Lamar Hill. He was born in Lithia Springs, Georgia, on April 9, 1999, and carries his mother’s surname.
How did Lil Nas X get his stage name?
He named himself after rapper Nas, widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricists and ranked first on MTV’s list of the greatest MCs of all time.
How long did “Old Town Road” stay at number one?
Nineteen weeks — a Billboard Hot 100 record at the time. The previous record of 16 weeks was shared by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber.
How many Grammys has Lil Nas X won?
Two, both at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020: Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, both for “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. He has received 11 Grammy nominations overall.
What is Lil Nas X’s net worth in 2026?
Approximately $9 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His income comes from streaming royalties, touring, brand deals, merchandise, and his music publishing catalog.
What is Lil Nas X working on now?
His second studio album, Dreamboy, is in progress through Columbia Records. A preview EP called Days Before Dreamboy was released in March 2025.