Lil Nas X is the latest in a long line of hip-hop artists who have been embraced and honored by their hometowns — and other cities as well — with the special occasion of having an entire day dedicated to them.
The Montero artist flew home to Atlanta on Wednesday to celebrate the city’s official proclamation of “Lil Nas X Day,” in which they recognized his monumental success “in the world of music, entertainment and popular culture.” “This is amazing,” Lil Nas X told the crowd. “I would have not have imagined I would be here four years ago when I was in my sister’s room on the floor. What else can I say? This is incredible, man. Life just keeps getting better.”
This isn’t the first time hip-hop artists’ success and contributions to society have been recognized by their hometowns. In 2018, the city of Houston recognized Travis Scott with “Astroworld Day” on Nov. 18, aptly named after the rapper’s third studio album and the defunct Six Flags theme park that the record was inspired by. He used the platform he was given on his special day to urge school students in the audience to start prioritizing their futures.
Being honored and recognized by their hometowns is something hip-hop artists certainly take to heart, as they are able to inspire those who grew up on the same streets, schools, neighborhood parks and city blocks as them. At the end of the day, it’s all about representing where they’ve come from along the way in order to reach the heights they’re aspiring for.
In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of days throughout the calendar year in which hip-hop artists have been honored in their respective hometowns and beyond. Check out the list below:
Feb. 7 – “The Weeknd Day” in Toronto, Canada
Feb. 25 – “Slim Thug Day” in Houston, Texas
March 1 – “J. Cole Day” in Fayetteville, North Carolina
March 14 – “Meek Mill Day” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 1 – “Three 6 Mafia Day” in Memphis, Tennessee
May 5 – “MCA (Beastie Boys) Day” in Brooklyn, New York
May 17 – “Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest) Day” in Oakland, California
May 21 – “Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace Day” in Brooklyn, New York
June 7 – “Pharrell Williams Day” in Virginia Beach, Virginia
June 10 – “Drake Day” in Houston, Texas
June 16 – “Tupac Shakur Day” in Oakland, California
July 22 – “Kanye West Day” in Atlanta, Georgia
Aug. 4 – “Rick Ross Day” in Miami, Florida
Aug. 8 – “Beyoncé and Jay-Z Day” in Minnesota
Aug. 30 – “Bernard ‘Bun B’ Freeman Day” in Houston, Texas
Sept. 20 – “Mac Miller Day” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sept. 27 – “OutKast Day” in Atlanta, Georgia
Oct. 13 – “Puff Daddy Day” in Chicago, Illinois
Oct. 20 – “Lil Nas X Day” in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec. 12 – “Wiz Khalifa Day” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nov. 18 – “Astroworld Day” for Travis Scott in Houston, Texas
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