Shaboozey Addresses Country-Rap Comparisons to Lil Nas X and Reflects on 2024 MTV VMAs Experience

Since his breakout earlier this year, many have compared Shaboozey’s hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” suggesting that the latter paved the way for his success in the country-rap genre. On Thursday (Oct. 3), the Virginia artist shared his thoughts on the comparisons in an exclusive interview with Billboard.

Shaboozey reflected on meeting Lil Nas X for the first time the night before the 2024 MTV VMAs, held on Sept. 11.

“That’s the homie,” he said. “We haven’t had deep conversations, but I can tell what’s happening to me now is probably very similar to what he experienced.”

At the VMAs, Shaboozey described feeling like he was in a “fishbowl,” with people anticipating a potential interaction between him and Nas X. “It’s like everyone was watching to see if we’d connect,” he joked. While he enjoyed the event, Shaboozey admitted,

“Sometimes it felt like they weren’t really there for me. But the love I got from Black folks working the event made it all worth it.”

Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” set a historic precedent when it debuted in 2018, holding the record for the longest-running No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track’s viral music video has garnered over 1.3 billion views on YouTube, and the single has been certified Platinum 17 times.

In May, Nas X expressed to the BBC his thoughts on the growing recognition for Black country artists, particularly after Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER. “I wish this would have happened for me. I wasn’t able to experience this,” he said.

Shaboozey also opened up about his experience performing at the 2024 BET Awards. He acknowledged that country music hasn’t always been embraced in Black spaces, sharing,

“I even questioned whether my music was really connecting with the audience as I performed. That’s my biggest fear—feeling out of place. But with my music, I want to challenge the norm and show that music is evolving.”

Shaboozey’s rise and crossover into country-rap is a testament to the genre’s ongoing progression, following in the footsteps of trailblazers like Lil Nas X.