After much speculation, and even some understandably premature celebrating on social media, Lil Nas X has officially made history.
As confirmed by Billboard on Monday (April 15), Lil Nas X has officially surpassed a record for first-week streams previously held by Drake.
Per Nielsen Music, his country trap track “Old Town Road” has garnered 143 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 11. Drake’s “In My Feelings” drew 116.2 million streams in one week last June. Additionally, Billboard notes that streams from both the remix and original version of “Old Town Road” are being factored into the song’s singular chart placement.
In addition to breaking a number for the most amount of streams during a one-week period, Lil Nas X’s genre-bending song has also ignited an impassioned national dialogue regarding genre specifications and distinctions.
At the time of this report, “Old Town Road” is holding down the No. 1 slot on the following charts: Digital Song Sales, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs, Streaming Songs and Airplay Gainer.
The remixed song’s successes also yielded country veteran Billy Ray Cyrus‘ first Hot 100 No. 1, marking his second top 10 hit following his 1992 breakout single “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Recently, Lil Nas X took a moment to apologize to fans after leading his growing following awry by teasing that Beyoncé would be on the remix. While he apologized for trolling, there is also believed to be a remix with Young Thug on the way, which would make for a fitting collaboration and a monumental dream come true for the fast-rising artist.
An official music video for the track has yet to be released, encouraging Will Smith to share some conceptual ideas and vocalize his support.
Congrats to Lil Nas X on this colossal milestone!