Montero
| Lil Nas X
Montero
Montero (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, released on September 17, 2021, by Columbia Records. The album, titled after his given name, was first announced in 2019. Its title, cover artwork, and tracklist were unveiled in 2021. Four singles supported Montero: the lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", "Sun Goes Down", "Industry Baby", and "Thats What I Want", all of which topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 except Sun Goes Down. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
On his melodious debut album, the pop-rap icon flaunts his verve and star power, all while a sense of isolation lives at the music’s brighter edges.
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The Crimson
Beyond its inspiring theme of one person’s artistic reclamation of power, “MONTERO” is just plain fun. The collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, and Jack Harlow are too good to pass up on.
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The Post
Colored with lively guitar licks and Kanye-influenced horn samples, Montero showcases Lil Nas X’s tendency to explore versatile instrumental timbres that make his sound unique. Right from the opening track, the Atlanta native makes a statement, and that statement is queer artists should not have to hide from the lustful lyricism that their heterosexual contemporaries so indulgently use.
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Rolling Stone
The young legend’s long-awaited full-length debut is a subversive delight.
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HipHop DX
MONTERO’s success hinges on quality music, not some fleeting controversy.
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Xtra Magazine
Although it’s not quite what many may have expected from the rapper, Montero goes beyond the bounds of traditional hip hop, and is one of the best debuts I’ve experienced in a long time. It marks the true beginning of Lil Nas X.
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The Guardian
This blockbuster debut album matches its eclecticism and broad emotional range with high-quality hooks throughout – and all with the rapper’s sexuality front and centre.
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Variety
With its genre-stretching approach and refreshingly honest exploration of love and loneliness, Nas reminds us that he’s a musical force to be reckoned with. Perhaps more importantly, “Montero” hints that the rapper is ready to give voice to the fears and longings of a generation of queer kids.
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News Record
Lil Nas X’s ‘MONTERO’ checks every box for the album of the year.
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Slate
If Montero doesn’t brim with the glitter and wit Lil Nas X can make look so easy elsewhere, maybe that’s because it needed to take its time laying out how far from easy it’s been, before carrying on wherever else the still-so-young Montero might go.
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The Butler Collegian
A central pop-rap focus leans into western, country, pop-punk and rock influences; this is representative of the changing nature of pop music and what listeners can consider “pure pop” these days. “Montero” establishes Lil Nas X as a leading artist of today, and certainly one to watch tomorrow.
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EW
Lil Nas X sounds limitless on his debut album.
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The George Anne
This album would be great without any features, but it’s incredible with them. Lil Nas X’s sound was enhanced so nicely with features from new artists, like Harlow and Meg Thee Stallion, timeless song writers, like John, and incredibly powerful women in music, like Doja and Cyrus. If the Grammy for Album of the Year were up to me, it’d go MONTERO.
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Consequence Sound
Lil Nas X’s Montero Is a Fantastic, Emotional Debut Album That Breaks the Mold.
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NMSU Round Up
As a debut album, MONTERO does well in introducing the “new and improved” version of Lil Nas X. Where X fumbles in creating more distinct subjects for his overall album listening experience, there are still quality highlights of well performed chorus’ and verses with excellent production throughout. While his first album certainly showcases the potential in X, hopefully that potential is carried and goes further above MONTERO in a future project.
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The Lantern
Lil Nas X seems to have found his sound with 'MONTERO'. Although his consistency method for creating a hit song can breed monotony, his ability to create revealing, introspective tracks makes this a project that will set a high baseline for his future bodies of work.
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USA Today
Lil Nas X proves throughout the 14 tracks (and one interlude) a genuine musical progression.
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The Michigan Daily
Montero is a great album — anyone who’s surprised by that hasn’t been paying close enough attention. Behind the controversy is an artist with an abundance of heart. Lil Nas X has crafted a phenomenal pop album with broad appeal through a clever blend of raw talent, musical experimentation and pure meme power. Expect to hear Montero blasting from passing cars, dorm rooms and football stadiums for a long time to come.
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DIY Magazine
A triumphant debut that sees the once-considered one-hit-wonder proving he’s got what it takes.
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black boy bulletin
Montero is a triumph, there’s no debate about that. Lil Nas X, Take A Daytrip, and Omer Fedi went into the booth, took their time, and created an album that’s honest, vibrant, and expansive. This is a formidable formal start to his musical journey.
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Music Connection
Lil Nas X may not be for everyone, but there is certainly something for everyone on his major debut.
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Metro Weekly
Montero stands easily along works from more established artists as a strong debut that is as unapologetic, idiosyncratic, and assertively queer as its creator.
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Refinery29
When I listen to Montero — an album with no skips — and take in the intentional imagery from the music videos and the year-long rollout, I’m reminded that naming myself as queer was only the beginning.
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NME
‘Old Town Road’ prankster makes his case as a Serious Artist.
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mxdwn Music
Lil Nas X and his loud and proud project Montero serve as a breath of fresh air for both the music industry and music lovers. The creativity he’s able to exhibit and taking it back to the early 2000s, where music videos were almost more important than the songs themselves, sets him apart from the rest.
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The Reflector
the album was full of tracks that were catchy, but with meaning and that could also be a push for others to be confident in being themselves no matter what. I often found myself nodding my head up and down to every song that came on. Listening to his words, I could vividly imagine the trials and tribulations he went through on his way to stardom. There were many songs that described what someone with depression goes through, but also how to get out of that hole. This is a very upbeat album, with lyrical genius behind it that everyone should listen to.
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Vinyl Chapters
Montero is an exceptional album and proves that Hill is not somebody who was capable of making just one great song. This is a record full of terrific music and it even ends with an angelic, peaceful sort of bliss with the track Am I Dreaming featuring Miley Cyrus in a collaboration I didn’t know I needed until I heard it. Montero is bold in more ways than one and is about as great of a debut as one could have hoped for from Hill.
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The Forum
Montero does more than provide a few catchy tunes and an insight into the Lil Nas X psyche; it is an anthem for those struggling with their sexuality and identities at large in America. The success of Lil Nas X—a gay, black, country-rap artist—has massively impacted those who can relate to his lyrics about feeling alone. Lil Nas X is proactively building a better future for children who embody his younger self, courageously sharing his story so that nobody else ever needs to write another Montero.
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The Whit Online
Despite some shortcomings, “Montero” is a success. If I were to have a word with Lil Nas X, I would simply say “Congratulations, you did it.” You’ve done everything you needed to do to prove yourself as a serious artist and entertainer. You have a long, illustrious career ahead of you, and you will surely be remembered as one of the better cultural figures of our time.
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Stereogum
This is clearly and unmistakably the album Lil Nas X wanted to make, and it has already helped him to escape the shadow of “Old Town Road,” to the point that I sometimes forget his origin story entirely. I am intrigued to see just how far he can ride.
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Clash Magazine
A colossal event release, ‘MONTERO’ excels the marketing spin by delivering one of 2021’s most daring, riveting, and honest pop statement. After months of anticipation, Lil Nas X speaks his truth – and the world is ready to listen.
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Hot New Hip Hop
With one of the most creative album rollouts of the year -- Lil Nas staged a pregnancy and had all sorts of parody billboards installed in major markets across the country -- it’s safe to say that MONTERO was a strong debut project for the 22-year-old phenom. This was Lil Nas X’s baby, and he birthed a gem.
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The DA Online
It’s a debut that seems to show us only a peek of what he has to offer and promises only great things to come.
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The Musical Hype
Montero, the debut album by Lil Nas X, is an entertaining, personal album that successfully blends, pop, rock, and trap.
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East Tennessean
“Montero” is a beautiful, fun and reflective look into the experience of a fractured man who manages to stand with pride and self-love, even though his own society instilled self-hatred into his bones.
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AV Club
With every song, MONTERO builds a story of a multifaceted young man who’s not only survived but thrived despite the harshness of his childhood and the volatility of public visibility. He’s always been more than what people saw in “Old Town Road,” or the one they heard was making Satan shoes. And everything’s he’s done has led to this engaging debut record, a work that allows his inner self to shine.
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Afterglow
The album doesn't just showcase Lil Nas X's development and innovation as a musician, but it acquaints listeners with the authentic Montero a little more with every listen.
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The Forty-Five
It’s a melancholy finale for an artist built up as the living embodiment of a meme, indicating how all the media stunts (coming to the Met Gala ‘pregnant’, ripping off Nike with a line of trainers injected with a drop of his own blood) fit into his wider narrative. “Never forget me / And everything I’ve done” he croons, just another artist yearning for a legacy. With ‘Montero’, he has the start of one.
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Her Campus
Overall, the MONTERO album by Lil Nas X was a pretty good album, and I am excited to see what music he has in store for his fans next.
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The Hysteria Collective
Polished Yet Personal Pop-Rap.
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The Gauntlet
It is incredibly heartfelt and relatable but also very fun to listen to. MONTERO is definitely my album of the year — I don’t think anything will come close to how good this is to me. If anyone hands me an aux cord, they should know that this is the only thing I will be blasting from the car’s speakers.
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The Cowl
While he was certainly not what rap fans were expecting, Lil Nas X has paved the way for creating positive change in the industry—and what better way to do it than by having a chart-topping album?
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Music Matters Media
For any faults Montero may have, there’s no shaking the feeling that it will come to be looked back on as a landmark release; one that was hugely affirming for many of its LGBTQ listeners, and that also just happened to be hugely enjoyable.
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Slant Magazine
Lil Nas X’s Montero Is a Playful, Sincere Boundary-Blurring Debut.
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Sputnik Music
But not only is Montero a damn good album in its own right, but it truly is an important one. It’s important to those who once felt trapped internally and never had the courage to stand up for who they really are, and it’s especially important to anyone who feels like the walls are closing in and they have nowhere to run. Thank you Lil Nas X.
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The Court Street Press
MONTERO is a well-crafted album with stand-out lyrics and a mix of emotions that reverberate in the instruments and the heart.
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The Line of Best Fit
A portal into future pop history, Lil Nas X’s iconic MONTERO is written for our younger selves.
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Commedia
“MONTERO” is Lil Nas X’s best work to date. He was consistent throughout nearly all of the tracklist and brought originality to the current state of music. It is safe to say that Lil Nas X is not going anywhere and that expectations have only been exceeded for future releases with this new project.
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Exepose
Lil Nas X, regardless of opinion on his music, will be the face of a new era of pop music, hopefully one that champions self-love and acceptance. While some of this album is a little dull at points and some of the songs don’t really stick out, it stands as a fantastic statement of being from a new artist who is on the way to conquer the charts and the pop culture zeitgeist for many years to come, demonstrating a violent individualism in a sea of mediocrity and clones, whilst also having a few great, memorable musical moments.
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The Ithacan
Album debut of Lil Nas X is full of instant classics.
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Riff Magazine
Montero validates Lil Nas X’s staying power as an artist, exemplifying his ability to change and adapt over time while continuing to play to his strengths.
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Gigwise
There are no skips on MONTERO; with it, not only has Lil Nas X delivered a manifesto for all to follow, he has also somehow made himself even harder to dislike.
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Fantastic HipHop
Overall, between its surprising amount of potency, and lush musical offerings, Montero is easily one of the best debut albums that hip hop and mainstream music as a whole has seen in a long time.
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Wonder
MONTERO is quite evidently a labor of love and an impressive debut album that won’t easily be forgotten—and Lil Nas X, an artist that certainly will not be ignored.
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411MANIA
Lil Nas X showcases both his depth and dominance on Montero: an album that is simultaneously an onslaught of brilliantly bonkers pop music and a slow motion journey into a harrowing past that still haunts the singer to this day. This dichotomy between bulletproof star and vulnerable, wounded human being makes for a spellbinding debut that is only undermined by a series tired, uninspired and occasionally dated arrangements.
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Ratings Game Music
I mean, seriously, in MONTERO, Nas X gifts us with a blues song, a rock song, hip-hop songs, pop songs, alternative songs, and everything in-between. While he has his limitations as a singer, that doesn’t stop him from showing his ass in each song (And the artwork); hence why I call him an opportunist.
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The Needle Drop
Montero's catchiness and candor is unmatched by a great deal of modern pop.
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Men's Variety
True artists always go against the grain and that keeps them relevant. Madonna. Michael Jackson. Prince. Lil Nas X might be mentioned in the same breath as those legends if he keeps it up. He gives voice to the gay community and that’s very powerful, but the artistry on display with “Montero” will transcend boundaries.
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musicOMH
They are an expression of different moods, a refreshing sign of versatility, and the music throughout Montero suggests that Lil Nas X has a very bright future ahead of him.
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Summit News
LIL NAS X EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS WITH DEBUT ALBUM “MONTERO”.
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Traklife Media Group
MONTERO is a brilliant debut project filled with great beats, hilarious and heartfelt lyrics, and wonderful features.
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Milky
Montero is the perfect introduction to Lil Nas X, lending his birth name to the title and signifying a rebirth within the albums visual identity. Apart from creating a body of work full of awe-inspiring tracks, the album is a proclamation of self-acceptance and backing yourself throughout life’s pressures.
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RapReviews
Lil Nas X set out to make a crossover pop album with “MONTERO” and succeeded. If you want something hard listen to M.O.P., Big Sean or Kendrick Lamar. Soft isn’t “wrong” by definition, it’s just different, and sometimes a little less posturing and a little more emotional honesty is a refreshing change of pace.
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The Charger Bulletin
An impressive debut.
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The Glasgow Guardian
MONTERO opens the door for men to speak more freely and deeply about their emotions, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Despite his insecurities, Lil Nas X shows true bravery with his willingness to put a huge piece of himself into his work. This album is one you must listen to, if not for enjoyment then at least to appreciate the bravery of a young artist.
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The Arts Desk
Various flavours are somehow melded into one by the production which renders everything high gloss, hyperreal and plasticky.
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The Vector
The album overall was very well put together with solid production throughout. All of the songs and skits on the album have an accompanying video — a testament to the time and effort put into the album by Nas X and his whole team. The features are incredibly well placed and never feel like they don’t belong, an issue on plenty of other modern albums. For a record that has been in the works for literal years, every song sounds fresh and current. Hill has put together what I consider to be a perfect debut album.
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Flood Magazine
Full of surprises, always, Lil Nas X’s brand of ebullient and emotional hip-hop is wise and wonderful far beyond his years.
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Legends Will Never Die
I think this is a solid, respectable album. His versatility is undeniable as demonstrated on 7, but he expands it further & gets a bit more personal on the lyrical end.
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Ben's Beat
Although this officially stands as only his debut album, it’s already incredible to look back on the journey of Lil Nas X, each move calculated perfectly to become both a musical star and a hero to look up to. Reaching a point where he can be open about his struggles at the same time as using his time as a student of the game to provide us with great pop-rap tracks is a great place to be.
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ThomasBleach
‘MONTERO’ cements that Lil Nas X is the artist for a whole new generation. He’s the queer representation I wish I had in 2008 when I started questioning my identity. And he’s really going to be out here snatching awards with this impressive and noteworthy album because he fucking deserves it.
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