Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X was born Montero Lamar Hill in Lithia Springs, near Atlanta, Georgia. His mother named him after the Mitsubishi Montero because she wanted the car but never got one.

The first gay mainstream rapper, Lil Nas X struggled to come to terms with his sexuality throughout his teens. An ardent Nicki Minaj fan, he found solace in running the @NasMaraj fan account on Twitter.

When he was still known as Montero Hill, Nas enrolled at the University of West Georgia, where he majored in computer science, but dropped out after a year so he could concentrate on his music. The young rapper slept on his sister's couch and supported himself working as a cashier at Zaxby's chicken chain and as an attendant at the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.