Postcolonial theory

Postcolonial theory: blog tasks

Wider reading on race and Old Town Road

Read this W Magazine deep dive on the Yeehaw agenda and answer the following questions: 

1) What are the visual cues the article lists as linked to the western genre? 

"You’ve probably seen an uptick in cowboy hats and knee-high leather boots on your feed. Of course, the visual cues associated with what could be classified as Western - cowboy hats, cow prints, rhinestones, and fringed suede jackets"

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

In September 2018, the trend of black pop-culture figures wearing cowboy garb was dubbed the “Yeehaw Agenda” by Bri Malandro, a Texas-based pop-culture archivist.

3) Why has it been suggested that the black cowboy has been 'erased from American culture'? 

The imagery associated with Americana has been overwhelmingly white, so much so that the Studio Museum in Harlem even held a "Black Cowboy" exhibition two years ago, featuring photographic works from Kahlil Joseph, Deanna Lawson, and Chandra McCormick that aimed to bring the black cowboy to the forefront of western history.

4) How has the black cowboy aesthetic been reflected by the fashion industry?

Over the past few years, their popularity has surged to the point that Pyer Moss—a label that prominently presented western-inspired looks in its fall/winter 2018 runway show—featured the Compton Cowboys in the look book for their fall 2018 collaboration with Reebok.

5) Read the section on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. What does it suggest about race and the country music community?

When Billboard decided to remove the song, insisting that it “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music” for it to be considered part of the genre, the Internet revolted, with many contending that the erasure of the song from the country charts reveals a problem with race in the country music community.

6) What elements of the song and music video are suggested to be authentically country and western?

The singer Lil Nas X has a southern twang which reflects the twang in the voices of popular country musicians, the track incorporates a banjo, and the video backdrop appropriately matched the aesthetics associated with country music and even including Billy Ray Cyrus.

7) What genres of music does the article suggest have been shaped by black influences? 

Black influencers have shaped rock and roll, punk, riot grrrl, and electronic music.

8) In your opinion, what do you think has been the driving force behind the Yeehaw movement? 

The Yeehaw movement, in my opinion, was presented as a kind of revolution against the prejudice and restrictions that black people had to deal with because of society's traditional views about them. Giving black people the chance to rebel and claim their legitimate history and heritage will make it possible for them to express the need to change historical representations to reflect what they want.

Applying postcolonial theory to Old Town Road

Revise the postcolonial theories we have studied and apply them to the Old Town Road music video: 

1) How does the Old Town Road music video both reinforce and challenge black stereotypes in the media?

Reinforces: Rap music, hood, race cars, guns, hip hop dancing.

Subverts: Country music, cowboy and western aesthetic that's mainly dominated by white men.

2) How could you argue that the Old Town Road video challenges Gilroy's theory of double consciousness?

Because Lil Nas X is represented as a cowboy which is stereotypically known as dominantly white, it shows that Lil Nas X has found a sense of belonging as a cowboy and doesn't have to view himself through another persons eyes. 

3) How does Lil Nas X and Old Town Road provide an example of Hall's theory of race representations? Alternatively, you could argue against this if you prefer.  

Representing Lil Nas X, Chris Rock and the other 2 black men as cowboys reinforces the idea that audiences may blur race and class, therefore representing the black cowboys as dangerous and not rich. 

4) Are there any examples of Alvarado's theory of black stereotypes in the Old Town Road video? Why/why not?

Dangerous: "Not too welcoming of outsiders"

Humours: Chris Rock

5) How does Lil Nas X provide a compelling case study for bell hooks's theory of intersectionality?

The race depicted in the music video, which starts with a mix of coloured cowboys but ends with just black people in an American picket fence street that is peculiar for a white bingo session, can be used to apply Bell Hooks' theory of intersectionality. There is racial diversity, particularly in the cowboy genre, which is typically associated with white men. In light of Hooks' contention that black women in American society had the lowest status due to an intersection of racism and sexism, this can also be connected to gender, where there is a mix to demonstrate equality. Regarding sexual orientation, Lil Nas revealed his identity on social media following the video's release. The audience can observe in the video how Billy Ray Cyrus's pink suit, which reflects his mind, and his own glamorous side cowboy fit already represent this.