Lil Nas X Revealed The Story Behind His Real Name & It’s Not What You’d Expect

The world has fallen for Lil Nas X since he released "Old Town Road," but as you may have guessed, that's not his real name. The star is actually called Montero Lamar Hill, which he recently spoke about on TV. Lil Nas X revealed the story behind his real name during a Jan. 7 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and it's a delight.

While the Grammy-winning musician promoted his new children's book (C is for Country) and upcoming album on the show, Fallon asked what he should call him. "You can call me Nas or Montero," he responded, prompting the late-night host to ask why he didn't use Montero as a stage name.

Lil Nas X explained that he didn't use his real name since Nas was his longtime internet alias, adding that the story of his real name is "slightly embarrassing, but not embarassing."

"So my mom wanted the car, the [Mitsubishi] Montero, and she never got one," he told Fallon. "So yeah, I'm named after a car."

The star also noted that he took inspiration from other rising musicians when he came up with his stage name. "When I started doing music, I was like, 'I want to have fun with this," he added. "And every new rapper's name is Lil, Lil, Lil. 'What if I was Lil Nas? That'd be funny.' So I was like, 'Alright, bet. I'll be Lil Nas.' And I added the X later on."

During the interview, Lil Nas X shared some details about his big night at the 2020 Grammy Awards, noting that his favorite moment of the night was actually going to a strip club with fellow musician Lizzo afterwards. When Fallon asked if he would collab with the massively popular K-Pop group BTS again after performing "Old Town Road" with them at the Grammys, he immediately responded, "Of course! Of course."

Lil Nas X's 2021 is certainly off to a strong start, as "Old Town Road" officially became the highest certified song ever by the Recording Industry Association of America on Saturday, Jan. 9. He reacted to the single's 14-times platinum status on Twitter, writing, "OLD TOWN ROAD IS OFFICIALLY 14 TIMES PLATINUM! MOST PLATINUMS FOR ANY SONG EVER! LETS GOOO!"

Fans will have to wait until sometime later in 2021 to hear Lil Nas X's album, but no matter what happens this year, it's good to know that his yeehaw agenda is still going strong.