Lil Nas X Channels His Inner Cowboy & Wins Big At 2019 MTV Video Music Awards

Lil Nas X continued to cement his image as a new-age hip-hop star at the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday night.

The 20-year-old rapper, who recently came out as gay, won the Song of the Year VMA for his hit track “Old Town Road.” The country-rap tune features Billy Ray Cyrus and spent a record-breaking 19 weeks as the top song on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lil Nas X wore a bright red cowboy hat and bedazzled suit adorned with the image of a bullfighter and a medical symbol, among other things. The rapper performed “Panini” at the awards show in Newark, New Jersey that was hosted by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. 

The hip-hop star also drew significant attention for using a scroll for his acceptance speech. Users on Twitter quickly began making jokes and memes about how the prop reminded them of the length of a CVS receipt or a restaurant menu.

“Thank you, thank you so much. This is my first award ever,” said Lil Nas X. “And I want to say thank you to this man [Billy Ray Cyrus] for helping me take my career to the next level, and I got a little speech.”

A photo of Lil Nas X and fellow rapper Lizzo, who was donning a flashy outfit of her own, also went viral.

Among the other big winners at this years VMAs was Taylor Swift, who went home with the Video of the Year award for her song “You Need To Calm Down.” The track is about LGBTQ rights, and the singer took time in her acceptance speech to promote her support for equality.