The unique combo of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus made the biggest country rap crossover hit ever with “Old Town Road”, and they rocked the BET Awards with it in a memorable performance. The pair sure knows how to make an entrance, and rocked up to the awards show on horseback, perhaps borrowing their rides from Cyrus’s 500-acre Tennessee farm. Lil Nas X and Cyrus then hit the stage with a suitably huge production, which was set up to look like an old-time saloon.
Cyrus began the song by singing the chorus hook. He then jammed on an acoustic guitar while Lil Nas X took centre stage in a flamboyant yellow and black leather cowboy outfit. Together with their cowboy and cowgirl backup dancers, the dynamic duo rocked the stage hard, getting a big reaction from the crowd in the mosh pit, who had a great time singing the hit with them.
The appearance was a hit for the duo, attracting 46 million views, making it the fourth most popular video on the BET Awards YouTube channel. Fans loved to see Lil Nas X and Cyrus rock the BET Awards and added comments such as “Billy Ray never even thought he would show up at this awards show at his age. Life is amazing” and “The most ambitious cultural crossover since Jay-Z and Linkin Park.”
Lil Nas X and Cyrus have made several big performances of “Old Town Road”, with another memorable appearance being when the pair played at Glastonbury in 2019. Cyrus’s pop star daughter invited the pair onstage to play the hit during her set, and the energy was off the charts. Miley and her father were clearly stoked to be up there performing together, and Lil Nas X brought a hype energy to the show as well.
“Old Town Road” brought country rap to the mainstream in a big way when the single became a hit after its release on December 3, 2018. The song initially gained popularity on TikTok, and after things picked up steam, the Billy Ray Cyrus remix version was released on April 5, 2019. Things went bonkers from that point on, and “Old Town Road” topped the Billboard Hot 100 on April 13, 2019. The hit subsequently gained a Diamond certification in the US, becoming the fastest single in US chart history to do so.
For more from the versatile and dynamic Lil Nas X, follow him on Facebook and Instagram for updates on his latest performances and collaborations.