Lil Nas X Revisits His Roots on Empowering New Single “World’s Greatest!”

In his latest single, “World’s Greatest!”, Lil Nas X rides the tides of life from public housing to superstar. It’s a celebration of where he’s from. But the high-energy track, a dedication to his late mother, also reminds him to keep going.

Behind the Lyrics

Proud of who he is, Lil Nas X pays homage to where he’s from and how it shaped him into the person he is today.

I rock myself how I roll,
I carry myself, I carry myself.
And I walk my talk, yes, I do,
I’ll tell you now, I’ll tell you now.
Yeah, I got this walk from Atlanta,
I got this talk from mammy, yeah,
If they knock me down, I’m standing up.

Lil Nas X repeats that he’s the champ—a self-empowerment anthem that no doubt will be chanted loudly at packed gigs.

I’m a champion…

Here, he returns to his childhood home in Atlanta and thanks his family, who were crucial to his rise. (His mother, Tamikia Hill, died last month, and “World’s Greatest!” celebrates her life and legacy.)

In an emotional Instagram post, Lil Nas X listens back to a voicemail from his mother:

“I just wanna say, I love you. Keep your head up. Continue to walk by faith, not by sight. Let go and let God handle the rest. Everything is gonna work itself in its own place. Don’t give up, never give up,” she said.

Came up from the bottom,
Used to share a room with my sisters and my brothers.
Five to a bed, we was in there sharing covers,
Grew up in the hood with my mama and grandmother,
At least we had each other.
I was sad at the bottom, I was S-A-D,
Now I’m bad, everybody wanna flick up with me,
I was sad, I was down, I was covered in defeat,
Now everybody from my town played the songs on repeat. (Let’s go!)

“Old Town Road”

The Southern hip-hop groove reminds me of Outkast, fellow Atlanta heroes, who, like Lil Nas X, blended various genres and changed the sound of the pop charts.

Mm, boy, put it on me now,
Tell me, I’m the baddest that you ever been around.
Tell me, I’m the realest from the “Old Town”,
Celebrate my wins with some gunshot sounds.

Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images