CSP - Old Town Road

Background and cultural contexts

Answer the following questions: 

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

- Billboard had removed the song from the country music charts as they didn't believe it was a country song
- This caused a national debate and people theorised it may be due to other reasons (e.g. racism)

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

- Lil Nas X was a Soundcloud rapper and originally posted Old Town Road on there
- It quickly grew to viral fame on social media sites
- It was bought by record labels after it became a viral success

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

- The "Yeehaw Agenda" was a cultural movement that mixes + celebrates Black cowboy culture and aesthetics
- Challenges current stereotypes of cowboy culture as they featured predominantly white people

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

- The removal of the song from the charts sparked national debates
- Audiences suspected the song was removed due to racism

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

- He emphasized how Old Town Road challenged traditional genre stereotypes + industry standards
- The sudden and viral rise of the music brought issues in the music industry to light
- He suggested the rise of Old Town Road reflects how audiences consume music nowadays

Now answer the following questions:

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

- He announced it on Twitter in June of 2019

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

- It blends elements of country and hip-hop seamlessly
- It challenged traditional music genre stereotypes and opened the door to more experimental music

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

- Country music, traditionally seen as conservative, is experiencing shifts towards greater diversity and inclusion
- Artists like Lil Nas X are trying to give minorities a spotlight
- The success of Old Town Road reflects this

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.

Levi-Strauss' binary opposition theory can be applied here as there's a theme of past vs future. In the beginning of the music video, we see an old western setting, and after they crawl through a tunnel, they switch to a modern, familar urban setting. Additionally, we can also apply some elements of Propp's character theory to the music video. Lil Nas X is the hero, Billy Ray Cryus is the sidekick, and the people chasing them + shooting them at the start were the villains. I also believe you can apply Todorov's equilibrium theory to this, as the equilibrium is established 

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

The conventions of country/western include cowboy hats/outfits, horses, sheriffs, dusty towns, and guns. Intertextuality is featured as it showcases some gameplay from a popular game known as Red Dead Redemption 2.

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.

A wide-angle shot is used to establish the scene of the music video, with the Wild West scenery serving to inform the audience of the genre of the video. Additionally, actors' costumes showcase traditional western codes/conventions, as they wear hats, vests, and boots. The lighting also represents this. The wild west is primarily quite yellow in tone, while the present is more blue and cooler.

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

The video predominantly focuses on black representation. The main character is a black cowboy, which subverts genre stereotypes. Additionally, most people in the modern town are black too, which presents them in a good light. This again subverts genre stereotypes, as country music videos tend to focus on predominantly white actors/people.

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

The use of cowboys reinforces the stereotypes of masculinity as cowboys are seen as strong and resilient. What is subverted though is their outfit colour; you typically don't see pink on a man, as that's considered a "girl's" colour, by typical stereotypes. There's also not much representation of women here; the music video predominantly features men. Also, Lil Nas X's sexuality, despite it not being directly present in the music video itself, subverts stereotypes and also creates a new definition of masculinity.

Old Town Road Media Factsheet

Finally, read Media Factsheet #262 - Old Town Road. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions: 

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

Chris Rock, Diplo, Rico Nasty, Vince Staples, Haha Davis, Jozzy, and YoungKio

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 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.
Double consciousness - The idea that conflicting racial identities can exist within an individual

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

- He utilized TikTok, especially the #YeehawChallenge
- His efforts helped the track go viral and hit the top 100 charts of country music

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

- Western conventions: cowboy hats/outfits, horses, sheriffs, dusty towns, guns

5) How does the video begin? 

The video begins with a cowboy chase scene in the Old West, with Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus being pursued after a horse chase. They find a hidden tunnel and time travel to modern-day America.

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

The modern-day section plays with audience expectations, mixing cowboy iconography with a familiar urban setting. It suggests a mix of genre and identities, challenging stereotypical representations of race + masculinity.

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

The song's origin story and narrative represent a typical story of rags to riches. Lil Nas X was sleeping on his sister's couch when he made the song, and became a famous rapper when his song went viral and was bought out by big record labels. Additionally, the song/video's lyrics represent this clearly, as shown from his lyric/video breakdown.

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

The video ends with Lil Nas hugging a white old lady. This goes against the idea that black men are dangerous and suggests that people should not be afraid of people who are different. This leads to a message of hyperreality that creates a sense of inclusion and community, and says no to fear and violence.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

Pink is primarily worn as the main colour of the cowboy outfits, subverting gender stereotypes as pink is typically associated with girls. Additionally the dress codes encode Billy Ray Cyrus, a Nashville stalwart, a white, straight male artist in a totally different way offering a more varied representation 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
- David Gauntlett identity theory
- Paul Gilroy and double-consciousness
- Stuart Hall and representation
I think identity and representation are the most important for this CSP.