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?
A number of factors have contributed to Lil Nas X’s popularity, particularly the debate over whether “Old Town Road” should be classified as country music
2) What do you learn about the background of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road from the podcast transcript?
Lil Nas X 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.” The background for Old Town Road is that Lil Nas X 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?
The yee haw agenda. This woman, Bri Malandro, tweeted about how a lot of black artists are getting interested in sort of the country aesthetic. And the way that Lil Nas X factored into that is, while people were picking up on the good ol’ cowboy/cowgirl aesthetic, his song was circulating on Twitter and he made it available for free on TikTok, which is this huge platform where people can lip sync to songs and record themselves doing dance moves, and people who already were kind of feeling this kind of ironic cowboy vibe turned “Old Town Road” into the “Yee Haw Challenge.”
4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?
The story became about race in America as Lil Nas X who is a black music artist in America and his song was charting up in a very white music space and his song gets quietly removed by a very powerful, influential organisation which links to his race because Billboard (the organisation that Lil Nas X's song was dominating) said “Oh no, it has nothing to do with his race, it has everything to do with the song and the lack of country elements in it.” This then immediately set off conversation, especially in the black Twitter community saying that the only reason Old Town Road was taken off the Billboard Chart is because of him being black playing 'white' country music that is mainly represented by white people only.
5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
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 think piece which an ageing 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.
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?
Lil Nas X announced his sexuality on social media by coming out as gay in a series of tweets on Twitter (X).
2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'?
Old Town Road is described as 'genre-blurring' due to the fact that it touched both the music side of country music genre and because of his sexuality of being a gay person the LQBTQ side as well which showed him a lot of support.
3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society?
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. At the same time, the country music industry was attempting to appeal to a younger listeners, who were more generally supportive of marriage equality. Furthermore, in the five years since, there has been an exciting movement past mere acceptance of LGBTQ country musicians toward supporting those musicians claiming (or reclaiming) their queer identities through their performances.
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.
Narratives that can be applied here for Old Town Road can be Levi-Srauss: binary oppositions such as the costumes and props that are used to signify the time period of being an old western genre and then the crossover between country and rap mix. Another narrative theory that can be used is Barthes: enigma and action codes such as in the beginning of the music video Lil Nas X running away from the gun's bullet which can emphasis a classic Western action code.
2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?
Genre conventions found in the video are the cowboy hats that are worn to signify old western cowboys and the intertexuality of Billy Ray Cyrus being a country legend which helps to show the idea of this being more country music song as well as having a rap mix to it as well with the example of Lil Nas X playing that leading role.
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.
Certain pan outs and a phase in at the start of the video which are very stereotypical towards western movies.
4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?
The use of representations such as race and ethnicity of almost the whole cast in the music video being an entirely black cast can initially show the changing of country music and trying to subvert the typical stereotypes of country music being predominantly white dominated.
5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture.
Other representations that I can find in the music video is the costume used. This is because of having Billy Ray Cyrus who is a country music legend but subverts the idea of sexuality as he is also wearing a pink cowboy suit almost matching with Lil Nas X's which can connote to show that Billy supports the idea of being free and liking whoever you want.
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.
Hypermasculine: An exaggerated representation of masculinity which emphasises physical strength.
Mytheme: Small units of narrative in cultural products; such as theme, character and action, the study of which can reveal the dominant ideas and values of culture.
Archetypal: A representation that is very typical of a person, place or thing.
3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?
Lil Nas X listed the song on iTunes and SoundCloud.
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.
5) How does the video begin?
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?
A montage of images is used to reinforce the conspicuous consumption of material goods. The Maserati car, the dollar sign, diamonds, rhinestones, the Super Mall, flashy suits and high-end sunglasses connote the capitalist nature of America. Furthermore, these signifiers of wealth such as clutching a money bag with a dollar sign on it, construct the hyper reality of The American Dream, a cultural myth that states everyone should have equal access and opportunities, especially when it comes to success.
8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality?
Creating a juxtaposition of modern days and the 1800s
9) How is masculinity represented in the video?
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.
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 preformative 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.
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.
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