Catch up on the essentials
- Lil Nas X confirmed on Sept. 30 that he will release his new single "World's Greatest" on Oct. 1 at 12 p.m.
- Coverage frames the voicemail not as a separate tribute but as the official introduction to the single.
- The two-time Grammy winner told fans in June that he had spent "a few months" in rehab after a bipolar disorder diagnosis and had entered a facility for mental health support, according to the same Billboard report.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-30
Read on for the full pictureAnnouncing the single with a voicemail from Tamikia Hill
Lil Nas X confirmed on Sept. 30 that he will release his new single "World's Greatest" on Oct. 1 at 12 p.m. ET, alongside its official music video. The rapper, born Montero Hill, shared the news with a 44-second clip of himself listening silently to a voicemail from his mother, Tamikia Hill, who died in August. In the message, Hill addresses her son as "Doobie" and tells him to "keep your head up and continue to walk by faith, not by sight," adding, "Don't give up, never give up." The post's caption echoes that line, with the artist writing that the phrase was his mother's favorite saying and "resonates more & more" as he moves through life. After the recording ends, he holds up a sign reading "World's Greatest," the title of the track.
The voicemail as a direct introduction to the release
Coverage frames the voicemail not as a separate tribute but as the official introduction to the single. The 44-second clip is the first update the artist has shared since June, and outlets describe the announcement as his first public message since revealing that he had spent time in rehab and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. No further details about the circumstances of his mother's death were included in the Sept. 30 post, and Billboard's report does not state a cause.
Background on the past year
The two-time Grammy winner told fans in June that he had spent "a few months" in rehab after a bipolar disorder diagnosis and had entered a facility for mental health support, according to the same Billboard report. He was later charged with four felonies after allegedly attacking police officers while walking naked on the streets of Los Angeles; he pleaded not guilty and was released on bond to attend treatment. In August, after his mother's death, he posted an Instagram Reel saying people had been kind to him since he left rehab. The Sept. 30 post does not include new information about his criminal case or ongoing treatment.
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