"OLD TOWN ROAD" TO VICTORY

Lil Nas X's "Old Town" Road f/Billy Ray Cyrus (Columbia) has, as expected, hit #1 on the Hot 100 chart for its 17th week, officially becoming the longest-running song ever in the top spot.

The previous record was jointly held by "Despacito" and the Mariah Carey/BoyzIIMen collab "One Sweet Day," both of which reigned for 16 weeks.

Other remixes have also been issued, featuring guests as diverse as Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and K-Pop wonders BTS. And it's worth pointing out that this thing is a more than just the biggest song in recent memory—it's a cultural phenomenon. As the Chicago Tribute exulted mere days ago, "'Old Town Road’ is a record-breaking, gay-pride-celebrating, America-unifying pop-culture miracle."

Nas is seen at left with Columbia EVP of Canine Operations Ms. Larry David; at right we see an initial exchange (shared recently on label boss Ron Perry's Instagram) that prefigured a big ol' youthquake.

Meanwhile, with Sony's financials due from Tokyo late tonight/early tomorrow (depending on your time zone), wonderers are wondering how this streaming unicorn will affect the bottom line. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, why not watch the video again?