When Lil Nas X opted to take his horse on the “Old Town Road,” who knew his journey would be laden with prestigious awards, a record-breaking 19-week run atop the Billboard charts, or the unexpected resurgence of Billy Ray Cyrus?
But now firmly entrenched in the pop culture zeitgeist, the 20-year-old phenom is adding another accomplishment to his resume, as Fader reports that “Old Town Road” has officially reached Diamond status by selling 10 million copies—the fastest song ever to do so.
In response to the news, the Atlanta rapper took to Twitter to celebrate as only he can:
“when i was young i went to a civil rights march and martin luther king pointed to me and smiled,” he tweeted. “he said make music and never stop, well look at me now.”
Of additional note, “Old Town Road” is the first song of the year to accomplish this feat.
Commercially released last year on Dec. 3, it joins Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” as other recent songs to crack Diamond status.
Respect due to the Columbia Records signee, who predicted his ascent back in May:
I guess it’s time to buy those Blu-rays.