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?
If 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?

He is a 20-year-old rapper from Atlanta, whose given name is Montero Hill, though he has been using the stage name “Lil Nas X” for several years. In keeping with many emerging artists, he joined SoundCloud, and in December of last year, he released a song titled “Old Town Road.”

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

The Yeehaw Agenda is a trend that celebrates Black and LGBTQ+ people in cowboy and Western styles, like music, fashion, and pop culture. It became popular with songs like Old Town Road and aims to show that Western culture isn’t just for white people—it includes everyone.

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

After Billboard removed the song from their chart, it sparked a debate about race—even though they claimed the decision was based solely on the music itself. However, their reasoning raised concerns, as it seemed to set a definition of the genre that could make it difficult for Black artists to succeed within it.

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

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?
 Through Twitter

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

As an artist who blends genres, with a breakout hit that combined elements of both hip hop and country and attracted fans from both worlds, Lil Nas X’s decision to come out publicly has had an impact on both genres. In the country music scene especially, LGBTQ representation and acceptance have made significant progress in recent years.

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

After Lil Nas X came out, several other country artists also opened up about their own identities, expressing their support and showing that the country music community is becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.

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 are narrative features used in the music video? Apply narrative theory here.

 

Types of character ie. Lil Nas X as hero ( Propps theory)

Levi Strauss theory binary opposition- hip-hop and country

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

Mix of genres- hip hop and country 

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.

Mise-en-scene: change In setting. Cowboy costumes

Cinematic camera work

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

yeehaw agenda

LGBTQ+

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

Black and white society

Age differences

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? 

Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Rock 

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.

• Mytheme: Small units of a narrative in cultural products: Theme, character and action, the studies of which that can reveal the dominant ideas of culture. 
• Archetypal: A representation that is very typical of a person place or thing.
• Cultural Myth: Deeper ideologies that has been shaped through cultural coding through connotations over time.

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

He uploaded the songs to iTunes and labeled the style as “country-trap.”
Early on, he gained attention by running a fan account for Nicki Minaj, using her name and fanbase to build clout.
He also turned to Reddit communities for help in choosing a name for the track.
When the original version of the song was released, it quickly inspired a wave of memes online.

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

Bank robberies

Riding in the countryside

5) How does the video begin? 

Chase scene 

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

The want/ desire to be rich

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

There is a subversion of stereotype where Lil Nas hugs a white elder woman.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

Men seen as tough and having 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
• David Gauntlett
• Stuart Hall