Culture

Lil Nas X's hit 'Old Town Road' reaches diamond status, making history

Lil Nas X performs onstage during the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 20, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia, FILE

October 24, 2019, 3:08 PM

Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" is officially RIAA-certified diamond as of Wednesday.

In becoming so, it also smashed another impressive record.

(MORE: Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' breaks record for longest run at No. 1)

Billboard reports that the Billy Ray Cyrus remix of "Old Town Road" officially sold over 10 million units, the first song of 2019 to pass that threshold.

In addition, the single -- released in April -- is the fastest song in RIAA history to accomplish such a feat.

(MORE: Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' sets record as longest-running No. 1 hip-hop song in history)

Out also reports that Nas made history in another way as just the second openly gay man to have a certified-diamond song. Elton John's double side "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" and "Candle in the Wind" went diamond in 1997.

Nas is also the first openly gay man to win the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year.

(MORE: Lil Nas X says he's 'opening doors for more people' with his coming out message)

The 20-year-old also has another shot at making music history at this year's Grammy awards. With "Old Town Road" a rumored front-runner for Record of the Year, Nas could become the first gay black artist to win that award.

"Old Town Road" spent a historic 19-weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 -- the longest in chart history.