Does New Blake Shelton Song Throw Shade at Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’?

Blake Shelton
(Photo credit: Buck Stevens)

According to some fans of Lil Nas X, there is shade being thrown at the “Old Town Road” rapper by Blake Shelton on his new song, “Hell Right.”

Shelton’s song features Trace Adkins and the lyrics, “Then the girl from the small town took off the ‘Old Town’, put on a little Hank Jr.,” Adkins agrees, adding, “Thank God.”

“Hell Right” was released last Friday (August 16) to critical acclaim from fans who took the lyrics as a dig at the chart-topping artist, “Reminds me of when Taylor Swift came onto the music scene with pop-infused country and lyrics explicitly from a young woman’s experience,” wrote Twitter user @hopeisunseen, “That came with backlash from purists and then even more bro-country.”

A rep for Shelton claims the lyrics only pertain to the amount of airplay “Old Town Road” received and not a personal attack on Lil Nas X. “Old Town Road” has been named the longest-running U.S. single of all time, topping the chart for 20 weeks.

Do you think Shelton and Adkins’ lyrics are a personal attack on Lil Nas X or just a dig at the popularity of the song?