Lil Nas X - Old Town Road

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?

Many people argue that Old Town Road is not a country song

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

The song was sung 20 year old Lil Nas X & the beat was purchased for $30. It was at 19 on the Billboard country chart before being removed as Billboard didn't consider it to be a country song

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

Black people representing the cowboy aesthetic, which subverts expectations as traditional representations of cowboys in the media are mostly white men

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

When the song was removed from the charts, Genius reached out and of course Billboard 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.” It immediately set off conversation, especially in the black Twitter community. Country has often been very much protected. There’s a big gate keeping sort of vibe, and country music prevents black artists from really penetrating the scene. There are some exceptions.

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

He describes how the song started out as a meme but then became an overnight sensation along with being a focal point for discussion about race in the country genre

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?

He tweeted: “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more,” he tweeted. “But before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure.” 

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.” Fans on social media went wild.

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

The song appealed to fans of both the hip hop and country genre

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

More and more country singers are coming out as part of the LGBTQ community, and there is more ally support than ever

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.

Nas embarks on a journey throughout the video, representing the path he took in pursuing his dreams and breaking racial and sexuality barriers. This narrative element emphasises the idea of personal growth and the pursuit of success.

At first, Nas seems alienated as everyone in the Black neighbourhood stares at him. This is because of his unusual presence as a Black western cowboy riding a horse. However, we soon see him racing against a car, suggesting that he has started to fit in with the community. Then, he changes from a cowboy outfit to a funky, colourful modern outfit. This implies that Nas is starting to embrace the modern world. He meets up with Billy (the helper) & rides away in an expensive car, further emphasising how he now feels at home in this modern context. When they enter the bingo hall, the people there stare at them in confusion. However, once Billy & Nas start singing, everyone starts dancing. This journey from being alienated to being loved by everyone in the community represents his up & down journey from being an unknown singer (Nas' first appearance in the black neighbourhood), to then releasing a smash hit song & everyone enjoying it (the girl doing a TikTok dance to the song & the street setting up a race between the horse and the car), to then being taken off the country charts (Nas walks into the bingo hall with people dressed in cowboy/cowgirl outfits and they look confused - these are the types of people would stereotypically enjoy listening to country music), to then the remixed song with Billy & Nas peaking at 1 on Billboard's hot 100 for 19 consecutive weeks (Billy & Nas start singing together and everyone in the bingo hall starts dancing. Billy can be seen as the hero as he helped Nas recover from his chart removal by becoming a feature on the song, helping it reach the top of the charts.

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

Wipe transition at the beginning

Yellow-western style typography at the beginning

Horses, cowboys and cowboy hats

Whip sound effect along with freeze frame

Girl doing a TikTok dance

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.

Slow pan from Lil Nas X and Billy to the girl and her dad with a gun reveals that Nas & Billy are in danger but don't know it yet - adds a sense of comedy

Nas changing from cowboy outfit to a more modern outfit suggests that he is embracing the modern world

People in the bingo hall are first confused by Billy and Nas when they walk in but then they embrace them which we can see by their dancing

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

Billy (white) saying to Nas (black) "you're with me now, everything's gonna be alright" - represents white dominance over black people in the 19th century

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

White daughter calls out "daddy" when she sees Nas, which represents girls being submissive to their fathers in the 19th century and also represents male strength/aggression with the gun

The video challenges traditional gender roles by featuring Lil Nas X, an openly gay African-American artist, confidently and comfortably embracing cowboy culture. This subversion challenges societal norms and expands the boundaries of representation in mainstream music.