Lil Nas X’s family and friends are worried about more than just his recent arrest. According to insiders, they’re concerned the pressures of a struggling music career may be weighing heavily on him. The rapper skyrocketed to fame when “Old Town Road” became the longest-running No. 1 single in Billboard Hot 100 history. The track, fueled by its viral TikTok success and a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus, turned him into an international star almost overnight. But with such a meteoric rise came enormous expectations for Lil Nas X, which has reportedly had an effect on him.

According to a source who spoke to the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, has been deeply affected by the slowdown in his professional momentum. “His career has been going downhill for a while and it has affected him,” the insider claimed, pointing to the sharp contrast between the runaway success of “Old Town Road” in 2019 and the more muted response to his recent projects.

The insider added that the pressure to match that kind of chart dominance has taken a toll. Despite scoring hits like “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” he has reportedly struggled to maintain the same cultural grip, and industry insiders speculate that the commercial demands may be wearing him down.

Coupled with candid admissions about “difficult” years and health scares, the slowed momentum has left his loved ones fearing the star is under more strain than ever before.

Adding to the weight of industry expectations, Lil Nas X has also admitted he feels boxed in by today’s political and cultural climate. In a recent interview with Paper, the rapper reflected on the backlash he faced in 2021 with his smash hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which famously incorporated religious imagery like the Garden of Eden and a provocative lap dance with Satan.

At the time, the bold visuals catapulted him into the center of heated debates, but Lil Nas X now believes that level of risk would be impossible in today’s environment. “Even right now, [there’s] everything with the young males being taught these super conservative ways,” he explained, adding, “[If I did that today,] they’d actually try to kill me, like I’m not kidding.”

The star admitted that the world was “shifting” when his earlier work made waves but says the increasingly toxic political climate has left him second-guessing how much he can push boundaries. The comments only add to concerns that industry pressure and culture wars are compounding the strain on the once carefree hitmaker.

Beyond commercial pressure and political backlash, Lil Nas X has also admitted to battling feelings of isolation within the music industry, even in his hometown of Atlanta. In an interview with Revolt earlier this year, the rapper confessed that at the height of his rise, he didn’t feel like he fit in with the city’s thriving hip hop scene, dominated by trap icons like Future and Young Thug.

“I felt disconnected from it all … It’s Thug, it’s like Future … I just felt like … I can’t see myself belonging here,” he said. Instead, he forged his own path with the genre-bending “Old Town Road,” which was “completely, like, different. It’s no Atlanta-type at all,” he explained, crediting the viral hit with helping him carve out space outside of traditional rap lanes.

But after taking time away, the Columbia Records star said he’s learning to reconnect with his roots and focus less on pleasing everyone. “At the top of 2024, I was very lost, trying to cater to everybody except myself,” he admitted. “I had to come back to me. I can’t save the world all the time. I gotta make sure I’m good.”

He also confessed much of the stress was self-inflicted, believing fans expected him to constantly shock and provoke. “I thought I had to be outrageous all the time,” he said. “But sometimes I can just be chill.”

Between career pressures, public controversies, health scares, and family concerns, Lil Nas X finds himself at a crossroads. Once celebrated for being “delusional” enough to chase his dreams and rewrite the rules of pop and hip hop, the 26-year-old now seems to be struggling with the weight of fame and expectations.

Loved ones are reportedly pushing for an intervention, while the rapper himself has acknowledged the need to step back, reconnect with his roots, and prioritize his own well-being.