Atlanta honoured one of its homegrown superstars on Wednesday by declaring it “Lil Nas X Day.”
The proclamation was “in recognition of his tremendous success and ability to break barriers in music and popular culture. His artistic influence and transformative music continue to shape Atlanta and the world.”
Accepting the honour, Lil Nas X – who currently has the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Industry Baby” with Jack Harlow) – told the crowd: “This is amazing. I did not imagine I would be here four years ago when I was at my sister's house, on the floor.
“I mean, life just keeps getting better. I'm getting scared.”
Lil Nas X lived for three years in Atlanta’s Bankhead community but spent most of his early life west of the city.
“I didn’t want to leave what I was used to but it was better for me,” the rapper told Rolling Stone in 2019. “There’s so much s**t going on in Atlanta — if I would have stayed there, I would have fallen in with the wrong crowd.”