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Ty Herndon Lil Nas X Coming Out ... Can Open Doors For Hip-Hop

Lil Nas X coming out is going to spark change in the hip-hop community ... so says Ty Herndon, who thinks Lil Nas' bravery will make it easier for others in the industry to be themselves.

We got Ty before his Thursday night set at Rockwell Table and Stage, and our guy asked if the country music veteran thinks Lil Nas X will help other gay hip-hop artists feel comfortable and accepted enough to come out.

Ty's the first male country musician to reveal he's gay, which is why he says he knows times are a changin'. He flat-out believes ... in Nashville, your sexuality doesn't matter anymore -- and he thinks Lil Nas can bring that same change in hip-hop.

some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨ pic.twitter.com/O9krBLllqQ

— nope (@LilNasX) June 30, 2019

TMZ broke the story ... the "Old Town Road" rapper became inspired to share his truth with the world at the end of Pride Month after performing with Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus in front of a MASSIVE crowd in England.

Ty says he was super proud of LNX for coming out because it's extremely hard for rappers to be themselves, and he thinks Lil Nas can be a trailblazer in the industry.

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