SUPERSTAR TALENT: Lil Nas X skyrocketed to fame in 2018 with the release of “Old Town Road,” the longest-running number-one song in history, and has since amassed 6.3 million Instagram followers and 4.5 million Twitter followers. Nas is beloved by fans, not only for his music, but for how openly he embraces who he is and what he stands for. He fuses hip-hop and country, refusing to be defined by either genre.
HISTORY-MAKING AUTHOR: Nas has not only broken Billboard records, but he has appeared on the cover of TIME and is the first Black openly gay rapper to be nominated for and win a Grammy, as well as the first openly gay man to earn a Country Music Association award.
LARGER CULTURAL CONVERSATION: Now more than ever, questions about what it means to be American and what America looks like are at the top of national consciousness. Part of Lil Nas X’s message is that everyone is included in all versions of the country.
PRE-/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL APPEAL: Lil Nas X has performed his music at a number of elementary schools, with a viral school performance gaining 6 million views. He also recently appeared on the Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo! He is truly a kid favorite.
AWARD-WINNING ILLUSTRATOR: Theodore Taylor III won the Coretta Scott Key New Talent Award for WHEN THE BEAT WAS BORN. His participation in this project elevates it to another level.
Lil Nas X is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer, and songwriter from Georgia. He rose to fame in 2019 when his genre-shattering hit song “Old Town Road” went viral and became the longest-running #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Dubbed “an internationally recognized phenomenon” by Billboard, Lil Nas X and the Diamond-certified song have been recognized with various major awards from several areas of the music industry, including two Grammys and a Country Music Association Award. He is the first Black, openly gay rapper to be nominated for and win a Grammy Award. He has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine, was named one of their 25 most influential people on the Internet, and was also included on Forbes’s 2020 30 under 30 list. In addition to being a master musician, Lil Nas X is a social media superstar with over 12.5 million followers across apps. Find him on Instagram and Twitter at @lilnasx.
Theodore Taylor III is an award-winning illustrator living in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and son. By day, he works as a web developer. By night, he illustrates books, comics, and zines, including Mahogany L. Browne’s Woke Baby and When the Beat Was Born, which won the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Find him on Instagram and Twitter at @tedikuma.
Author Hometown: Lithia Springs, Georgia
Theodore Taylor III is an award-winning illustrator living in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and son. By day, he works as a web developer. By night, he illustrates books, comics, and zines, including Mahogany L. Browne's Woke Baby and When the Beat Was Born, which won the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Find him on Instagram and Twitter at @tedikuma.
Illustrator Hometown: Richmond, Virginia