“Old Town Road” #1 on Billboard for 13th week setting hip-hop record

For the 13^th straight week, Lil Nas X ‘s “Old Town Road,” which features country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus tops the Billboard Hot 100 – setting a record for the longest reign of a hip hop song.

“Old Town Road” (on Columbia Records) leads the Streaming Songs chart for a 13th week, with 88.7 million U.S. streams, which was down slightly at 3%, for the week ending June 27, according to Nielsen Music.

—Did Lil Nas X just come out of the closet?—

The track supersedes previous records set by Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” in 2015, The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” in 2009 and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” in 2002-2003, according to Billboard. Each of these songs topped the chart in the rap category for 12 weeks.

Lil Nas X is in rarefied company. “Old Town Road” is only the 12th single in the Hot 100’s 60-year history to dominate the charts for as long as it has. In fact, it’s the first hit since “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’shit maker featuring Justin Bieber, which spent 16 weeks at No. 1 back in 2017 and ties the record for that length of time with Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” in 1995-96.

Coming in at No. 2 this week is Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s “Señorita.”

“Road” is the little song that could. Despite some controversy earlier in the year, when Billboard, recategorized it from its Hot Country Songs chart to hip hop, it has continued to gain traction and rule the charts. Billboard removed “Old Town Road” from the Hot 100 chart, the Hot Country Songs chart, and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, saying it doesn’t reflect a traditional country music song. The organization notified Lil Nas X’s label, Columbia Records, that the song was ranked by mistake, according to Rolling Stone.

—Lil Nas X hits cover of Teen Vogue: 5 Interesting Takeaways—

In a statement released in late March, Billboard said: “It does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version,” according to a statement Billboard released in late March, sparking backlash and allegations of racism.

Fast-forward to the week of July 6^th. “Old Town Road” is at the top spot on the hip hop charts.