Lil Nas X - Old Town Road

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road: Blog tasks

Background and cultural contexts

Read this Vox feature and podcast transcript on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. Make sure you read the whole thing - including the podcast transcript - then answer the following questions: 

1) What is the big debate regarding Old Town Road and genre?

There is a big debate over whether the music video Old Town Road should be classified as country music as Billboards had removed it from the countries chart.

2) What do you learn about the background of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road from the podcast transcript?

He is a 20-year-old rapper from Atlanta. Technically his birth name is Montero Hill, but he has been calling himself “Lil Nas X” for several years now. And last year he joined SoundCloud, as many people do. And by the end of the year in December he released a song called “Old Town Road.” He bought a beat that had this sort of country-sounding instrumental to it. And he said he was living at home feeling very lonely, feeling like a lonely cowboy, and he decided to pair that feeling with this sort of twangy beat that he bought. So “Old Town Road” starts off very much as this deep-voiced ode to the simple life on the dirt road path with your horse. And then it breaks into what he calls “country trap.”

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

It started with this woman Bri Malandro, who tweeted about how a lot of black artists are getting interested in sort of the country aesthetic.  Lil Nas X was able to factored into that is, while people were picking up on the good cowboy/cowgirl aesthetic, his song was circulating on Twitter and he made it available for free on TikTok, “Old Town Road” into the Yee Haw Challenge.

4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?

The song may have questioned the conventions of the genre, which led to some debate. It was once categorised as a country song, but it was later claimed that "racial bias" was the reason it shouldn't have been included in the country music charts. The nation has frequently been well-protected. Black musicians can't truly break through in the country music scene because of the strong gatekeeping vibe.

5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?

"Absolutely. We have to also point out how amazing it is that this thing which was a meme that was commentary on cowboy culture and black identity that became an immediate overnight thinkpiece which an aging country star then remixed. Like, this thing is entirely of our moment. This is not old country music of a rural community. This is the internet generation."

He talks about how historically, country musicians have invited black musicians to share the stage with them. He adds that people now categorise their listening according to mood just as much as genre, which completely challenges conventional wisdom on the significance of these broad classifications. He concludes by discussing how a meme that was a critique of black identity and cowboy culture quickly gained popularity and was later altered by an ageing country music singer.

Now read this Salon feature on Lil Nas X and LGBTQ+ identity. Answer the following questions:

1) How did Lil Nas X announce his sexuality on social media?

In a series of tweets, he encouraged fans to listen to his song “c7osure,” which talks about coming clean about secrets and accepting oneself. He punctuated the tweet with a rainbow emoji, then posted the artwork from his new EP “7,” which features an illustration of him wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse towards a building glowing with rainbow lights. His deadpan caption reads, “deadass thought I made it obvious.”

2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'? 

As a genre-blurring artist whose breakthrough hit harnessed both hip hop and country sounds and fans, Lil Nas X's public declaration of his sexuality touches both genres. On the country side of the industry, LGBTQ visibility and celebration has come a long way in recent years. 

3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society? 

The trend in growing acceptance and support followed a nationwide social and political shift. By 2014, the states that had legalized same-sex marriage cumulatively contained 70 percent of the U.S. population. Then, in 2015,  U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans, making marriage equality the law of the land. 

Old Town Road textual analysis

Watch the video again and answer the following questions. Use your notes from our in-class analysis to help you:

1) How is the narrative features used in the music video? Apply narrative theory here.

Binary oppositions:

• time period
• horse and car race
• costumes and props
• conflict=dance off
• race/ethnicity

Action and Enigma codes:

• gun reveal=classic western action code
• race, horse(hooves sparks) all action

Todorov:

• 'in media res' = starts in middle off action
• multiple examples of disequilibrium
• ends with new equilibrium
• culture conviviality

Propp:

• Lil Nas X character as hero
• Billy Ray Cyrus as helper/sidekick
• this subverts stereotypes towards race and age

2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?

Intertextuality:

• Billy Ray Cyrus=country legend
• pink suit to subvert it
• rap genre=mariachi. porch, wrangler, Gucci, fender
• dialogue Compton
• car/horse scene=Lil Nas X tune in background
• back to the future (time travel) 
• fast and furious= lots of pop culture

Celebrity cameo:

• Chris Rock out takes
• comedy pieces included
• Billy Ray Cyrus

3) How are technical codes used to create meanings in the video? Analyse camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene and make specific reference to moments in the video.

• western move genre(dialogue)
• transition, title font, music and sfx
• social media/Tiktok=dancing, screen within screen

4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?

Race/ethnicity:

• almost entirely black cast
• 'Yeehaw agenda'
• final scene predominantly white but also scene of cultural conviviality
• to appease mainstream white audience?

Genre:

• opening reinforces gender stereotypes
• mainly subverts traditional masculinity 'Marlbar man'
• pink suit, Lil Nas X's jacket= modern masculinity

LGBTQ:

• clothing bright, blinding
• Lil Nas X open about sexuality
• not explicit? but alluded to it

America:

• white picket fence
• cultural conviviality
• American white dream street but all black people living there

5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture. 

The music video introduces us to a variety of cowboys, primarily emphasising the 'yeehaw' movement, which has allowed black cowboys to appear in their own distinctive ways. There are many female actors, like the girl who had a dance off with Lil Nas X, and some women wearing cowboy attire at the end as well.

 

Old Town Road Media Factsheet

Finally, read Media Factsheet #262 - Old Town Road. You'll need to log in to Google using your Greenford Google account to access this. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions: 

1) Who are the celebrities that appear in cameos in the video? 

The music video featured cameos from comedians Chris Rock and Haha Davis, rappers Vince Staples and Rico Nasty, songwriter Jozzy, producer Youngkio, and DJ Diplo.

2) Choose three of the key terms defined on the first page of the factsheet and write the definitions here. Focus on terms you are unfamiliar with.

• Archetypal-- A representation that is very typical of a person, place or thing. 
• Cultural Myth--- Deeper ideologies that have been shaped through cultural coding through connotations over time.
• Hypermasculine-- An exaggerated representation of masculinity which emphasises physical strength.

3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?

Firstly, he was a fan of Nicki Minaj and ran an anonymous Twitter account named @nasmaraj. Minaj is known for having a huge fan-base with Stans (stalker/fans) nicknamed “Barbz”. Lil Nas X, despite saying he did not run the account later admitted he did. Lil Nas X had a clear understanding of social media’s role in marketing and promotion of stars even before he released his own music. By trafficking in memes, viral threads, engagement bait, and Nicki Minaj stanning, he was able to create a six-digit follower base on Twitter, a process that is known a tweetdecking. This account served as a springboard to release Old Town Road.

4) Look at the video analysis on page 3. What conventions of the western can be found in the video?

• The video is a camp black western, complete with a hick hoe-down, car vs. horse showdowns and most importantly a stranger riding into town.
• The exposition of the video starts in media res (in the middle of action) and shows Lil Nas X riding through rugged countryside of the outback being chased by the sheriff and his deputies. Traditional westerns used deserted rocky, uninhabited settings to depict a particular form of American intrepidness that was dangerous and hostile for individual
• The Wild West of the 1800s is transposed to Los Angeles to create a comic juxtaposition for the audience; from the desolate, unwelcoming outback to the suburban streets of Los Angeles where the inhabitants are filmed in slow motion astonished at the sight of this newcomer.

5) How does the video begin? 

The exposition of the video starts in media res (in the middle of action) and shows Lil Nas X riding through rugged countryside of the outback being chased by the sheriff and his deputies.

6) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the modern-day part of the video? 

The Wild West of the 1800s is transposed to Los Angeles to create a comic juxtaposition for the audience; from the desolate, unwelcoming outback to the suburban streets of Los Angeles where the inhabitants are filmed in slow motion astonished at the sight of this newcomer.

7) How can the video be read as a reinforcement of capitalism and the American dream? 

The Maserati car, the dollar sign, diamonds, rhinestones, the Super Mall, flashy suits and high-end sunglasses connote the capitalist nature of America.

8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality? 

• The video ends with Lil Nas hugging a little white Bingo playing, line-dancing old lady, subverting the negative stereotype of the threatening black man as well as suggesting that outsiders should not be feared. This culminates in a message which constructs a hyperreality of inclusivity and community above fear and violence.
• Furthermore, these signifiers of wealth such as clutching a money bag with a dollar sign on it, construct the hyperreality of The American Dream, a cultural myth that states everyone should have equal access and opportunities, especially when it comes to success.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

The cowboy in popular American culture has featured on radio, in comic books, games, films, and television shows, had music written about him and featured in advertising. This representation often takes a romanticised an ideal of masculinity that is WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant). They are depicted as self-reliant, macho and tough, often self-sacrificing and shun romantic relationships with women. John Wayne, real name Marion Robert Morrison, was arguably the most famous and archetypal (best version) of this version of masculinity.

10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful? 

• Judith Butler’s theory effectively to the video as it draws attention to the performative nature of gender. Stereotypical feminine gender codes, such as the pink suits and flowers, highlight that “the inner truth is a fabrication.” Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus do not “perform” like conventional cowboys.
• David Gauntlett’s identity theory would argue that more varied and nuanced representations of masculinity offer audiences have more identity models to follow. Plus, marginalised representations of gay, black country, and rap artists getting mainstream exposure and being accepted could pave the way  for more artists from these groups.
• Paul Gilroy’s idea of double-consciousness could be applied through the idea that Lil Nas X has openly stated he’s struggled with his own sexuality and Christian background, as well as being a black artist trying to break out in the white-centric genre of country and western music. Furthermore, the sub-genre concept of hybridity in music create through African American influence is clear in how Lil Nas X is forging a type of country music.
• Stuart Hall’s concept of transcoding stereotypes could be useful ad Lil Nas X subverts the aggressive black male stereotype, especially in regard to the violent, misogynistic, homophobic rap star.