After its video almost immediately went viral, the Lil Nas X track “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” has hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, two years after he found similar success with his breakout hit, “Old Town Road.”
The past week has been a wild one for the gay rap star. As theGrio previously reported, he almost broke the internet with his latest music video, which portrays X sliding down a pole straight to literally dance with the devil in heeled, thigh-high leather boots. While the video received praise for its inherently progressive queer content and tongue-in-cheek reclamation of the phrase “go to Hell,” it also received backlash from right-wing pundits and elected officials. Despite the loud outcry from his haters, X has still managed to make “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” another smash hit.
Read More: Lil Nas X gives Satan a lap dance in ‘Call Me By Your Name’ video
According to Billboard, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” saw 46.9 million U.S. streams and sold 21,000 downloads last week, debuting in the top slot. The single also saw big numbers in terms of radio airplay, attracting 1.1 million radio airplay audience impressions last week.
“Montero” is the rapper’s fifth entry in the coveted music chart, all of which have been Top 40 hits.
In true Lil Nas X fashion, he took to Twitter to celebrate his massive achievement with his followers and fans, writing Monday “all jokes aside, we get to control our own destiny, never let the world decide it for you. no matter how dark it may look keep f—— going!”
He also tweeted about his journey to getting another hit song, sharing how he battled his own demons along the way: “y’all told a 19 year old who had just escaped the lowest point of his life that he would never have a hit again. you told him to stop while he’s ahead. he could’ve gave up. but 4 multi platinum songs and 2 #1’s later, he’s still here. thank you to my team and my fans! ily.”
Read More: ‘Saturday Night Live’ parodies Lil Nas X’s lap dance for Satan
Of course, he wouldn’t be Lil Nas X if he didn’t post some jokes and memes in honor of his accomplishment. The rapper tweeted a fun video from Spongebob Squarepants featuring magical laughter, with the caption, “me after getting a song about gay sex to the top of the billboard charts.”
As theGrio reported last weekend, his latest hit even made its way to Saturday Night Live. In the hilarious sketch, Chris Redd portrays X in his signature look from the “Montero” video, where he eventually gives God a lap dance on a talk show hosted by Britney Spears. The sketch made its way to the rapper, who jokingly tweeted, “snl going to hell.”
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