Lil Nas X is sharing a piece of his heart.
The rapper, 27, posted audio of a moving voicemail he received from his late mother, Tamikia Hill, as he announced his first single in a year and a half, “World’s Greatest,” via Instagram on Wednesday, September 30.
“Hey, Doobie,” Hill, who died last month, said in the clip. “Been calling you multiples of times today. I just wanna say love you, keep your head up, continue to walk by faith, not by sight, let go and let God handle the rest. Everything else is gonna work itself in its own place. Don’t give up. Never give up.”
She concluded her touching message, “I love you. Don’t forget that.”
At the end of the video, in which a shirtless Lil Nas X (real name Montero Lamar Hill) sat on a bed while listening to his mom’s words of wisdom, the two-time Grammy winner held up a notepad featuring the title of his new song, which will debut on Thursday, October 1, at 12 p.m. ET.
“World’s Greatest” marks Lil Nas X’s first release not only since he announced his mother’s death on August 29 but also since his arrest last summer.
In August 2025, the “Old Town Road” singer was charged with four felonies, including battery on a police officer, after he was caught walking around Los Angeles naked. He subsequently went to a rehab facility, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In April, an L.A. judge found that the behavior that led to Lil Nas X’s arrest was “aberrant from his normal conduct” and agreed to dismiss the charges on the condition that the entertainer continue to receive outpatient treatment and avoid more run-ins with the law.
Lil Nas X returned to social media in June, sharing a nearly three-minute video in which he assured fans that he was “doing better” after seeking professional help.
“When I got my bipolar disorder diagnosis, I feel like I had known for the past few years, but I didn’t want to admit to it ’cause I didn’t want to have to take medication and … have people think different of me,” he said before joking, “I mean, I’m already, like, Black and gay — like, damn, God, give me [a break]!”
The chart-topping artist also teased his musical comeback at the time, telling his followers that he was “excited” for his “next chapter.”
