Lil Nas X - 7 (EP) Review/Revisit

With the release of Lil Nas X’s controversial new single “(MONTERO) Call Me By Your Name,” I wanted to dive back into the artist’s first 2019 extended project titled “7.” The kickstart of Montero Hill’s career catapulted from his record-breaking, chart-topping, cultural shifting song “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. From there, he released this EP, and it’s not just what you’d expect: country. It’s actually alternative and features elements of rap, country, rock, pop, and R&B.

1. Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) - Old Town Road—the country-rap song that almost everyone knows. This song had a fair run in my opinion. Listening to this song now I would have to say that it’s not as good as I remembered. The song features Billy Ray Cyrus who, in my opinion, holds down the song. The song reminds me of a very specific time in 2019 but also reminds me of children listening to this song: who ultimately helped Lil Nas X rise to the top. Not something I’d listen to again.

2. Panini - Panini, his second most successful song, following Old Town Road, and personally this is at the top of my favorite songs on this project. The song embarks on a journey of Lil Nas X’s come up, how a fan who once was a huge fan isn’t anymore. I like the song because it has a replay factor that many songs don’t have. The music video for this song is also super cool.

3. F9mily (You & Me) [feat. Travis Barker] - F9mily (You & Me) is one of my favorite songs on this extended project. Surprisingly, this is the first rock-esque song I ever listened to, and it reminds me of Disney movies or a theme song. This would fit in a scene where the main character would be getting ready for when they head off to school. This song was one of the most pleasant to revisit, because I forgot how good this song was. I would consider this song not only the most diverse on the album but one of the best songs of 2019.

4. Kick it - Kick It is a song that is something you might listen to if you wanted to relive a dramatic moment that you remember; the beat reminds me of a dramatic television scene. It’s a skip for me now, but I did like this song when this project came out. It just doesn’t hold the replayability like I stated earlier other songs did, like Panini.

5. Rodeo (feat. Cardi B) - Rodeo is the other country song on this album, which follows suit with Old Town Road. I believe that country is fun for Montero to dabble in, but he thrives more with other genres like pop or rock. Cardi B’s verse was kind of lazy, but it still sounds good on the song, just doesn’t give bars, which is expected by “rappers.” Rodeo was later remixed, featuring Nas, and it was great. I prefer neither though—the song can be left in 2019.

6. Bring U Down - Bring U Down is top tier—a great underrated song by Lil Nas X. I like this song for the message; the internet can be very toxic sometimes. After listening to this now, where Lil Nas X is a superstar and not just a “meme rapper,” the lyrics hit harder because it probably still rings true for him. This song was up there as one of my favorite songs to revisit.

7. C7osure (You Like) - C7osure (You Like) is the closing song on the extended project, which alludes to Montero’s sexuality. When originally listening to this song, only a few knew that he was gay. On the last day of pride month (June 31st, 2019) he finally publicly came out, and let everyone know what the true meaning of this song meant. I had no clue earlier, during the initial release the true meaning of this song, but now I love it. Especially in today’s divided society, it’s a refresher for LGBT people, regardless of age, all around to feel like it’s okay to like what they like, not what others like. C7osure is the best song, in my opinion, to listen to when revisiting.