Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ inspired a nonverbal autistic boy to sing last year. Now, the Atlanta rapper wants to inspire all children to read.
The performer, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, announced on social media he is dropping “the best kids book of all time soon.” “C is for Country” will be released January 5, 2021.
The book, for ages 3-7, is illustrated by Theodore Taylor III.
“Join superstar Lil Nas X—who boasts the longest-running #1 song in history—and Panini the pony on a joyous journey through the alphabet from sunup to sundown. Experience wide-open pastures, farm animals, guitar music, cowboy hats, and all things country in this debut picture book that’s perfect for music lovers learning their ABCs,” the publisher wrote on its Random House Children’s Books site.
Panini the pony is named for the artist’s 2019 Grammy nominated song by the same name.
The book will be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart and more, and you can preorder through any of them via Random House’s site.
“Old Town Road” made the Lithia Springs High School grad a household name when it quickly climbed the Billboard charts in April 2019, only to be removed by Billboard from the Hot Country Songs chart, declaring it not country enough.
The song went on to spend 17 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, setting a record.
In January, Lil Nas X won his first-ever Grammy, for best pop duo/group performance for his “Old Town Road” remix with Billy Ray Cyrus and best music video for “Old Town Road Official Movie.”
If you aren’t familiar with “Old Town Road,” you can watch the video below.
