"Wait a minute," Cyrus says in a video the rapper posted on Twitter. "There's no way."
The country music veteran joined Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, on the remix of the rapper's song "Old Town Road," which was controversially removed from the Billboard country music charts in March.
AYEEEE! pic.twitter.com/MwEOQp8eQi
— nope (@LilNasX) May 21, 2019
In the song, Cyrus sings: “Baby's got a habit: diamond rings and Fendi sports bras. Ridin' down Rodeo with my Maserati sports car."
"I loved the song the first time I heard it. Country music fans decide what they like. Not critics or anyone else," Cyrus said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. "Waylon Jennings once told me every once in a while the industry outlaws someone because they're different. Country music fans don't need to be defined by critics. I've always said, don't think inside the box, don't think outside the box. Think like there is no box. So, I'm honored to collaborate with Lil Nas X on 'Old Town Road.'"
Related: Billboard removes rapper Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' from country charts
The genre-bending single has spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and seven of those weeks at No. 1. It also set the single week streaming record.
The catchy tune earned the title with 143 million U.S. streams, far surpassing the record set by Drake with “In My Feelings,” which drew 116.2 million streams. Both Lil Nas X’s original version of “Old Town Road” and the remix featuring Cyrus counted toward the streaming total.
Related: Country remix: Billy Ray Cyrus joins rapper Lil Nas X in 'Old Town Road'
The official video for the song is a five-minute movie filled with celebrity cameos, including Chris Rock, Rico Nasty, Vince Staples, Diplo, Ha Ha Davis, Jozzy and the song's producer, YoungKio.
On Monday, Wrangler launched a new collection inspired by the song. Lil Nas X sings, "Cowboy hat from Gucci / Wrangler on my booty." The limited-edition capsule collection includes denim pants, shorts, tops and T-shirts.
Credit: Frazer Harrison
Credit: Frazer Harrison
Not everyone was excited about the partnership between the rapper and Wrangler, saying it was making a mockery of the country music genre and cowboy culture. Some said they would stop buying Wrangler products because of the collaboration.
Despite the backlash, many of the items from the collection are selling fast. The shorts are already out of stock and Wrangler said it plans to make more.
About the Author