Music Video: Old Town Road CSP
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?
The big debate regarding the genre is whether or not the genre is country or rap.
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. 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.” He 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.
3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?
This is a social movement started by Bri Malandro, She created an Instagram account to celebrate black aesthetics in popular culture and to reclaim black identity in a predominantly white genre.
4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?
It became a bit of a debate because the song may have challenged the traditional genre boundaries. At the beginning, it was initially classified as a country song but was then argued to be excluded from the country music chars because of 'racial bias'. Country has often been very much protected. There’s a big gatekeeping sort of vibe, and country music prevents black artists from really penetrating the scene.
5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?
-Mimics a western film, could be a homage
5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture.
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?
It featured people such as: Chris Rock and Haha Davis, rappers Vince Staples and Rico Nasty, songwriter Jozzy, producer Youngkio, and DJ Diplo.
3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?
Lil Nas X had knowledge of social media that was a major factor in how this happened. Firstly, he was a fan of Nicki Minaj and ran an anonymous Twitter account named @nasmaraj. Lil Nas X, despite saying he did not run the account later admitted he did. Lil Nas X had a clear understanding of social media’s role in marketing and promotion of stars even before he released his own music.
4) Look at the video analysis on page 3. What conventions of the western can be found in the video?
The use of the horse is a convention since cowboys in westerns usually tend to be riding horses.
5) How does the video begin?
The video begins with Lil Nas X riding through a countryside 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?
8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality?
It suggest how Los Angeles represents a land of opportunities. This can be seen in the car race where the horse beats the car which earns his some cash. This shows how money can be possibly earned fairly.
9) How is masculinity represented in the video?
Instead of a dominant male we have a duo of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, who are more reminiscent of the Genre of Integration. However, in the early part of the video just as they are about to be shot by the suspicious people in the homestead, Cyrus states: “This should be fine, we’ll settle in here for the night.” Lil Nas X replies “I don’t know man. Last time I was here, they weren’t too welcoming to outsiders.” This element is characteristic of The Genre of Order where the space –
“the land” is being contested through threats of violence.
10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful?
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?
The big debate regarding the genre is whether or not the genre is country or rap.
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. 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.” He 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.
3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?
This is a social movement started by Bri Malandro, She created an Instagram account to celebrate black aesthetics in popular culture and to reclaim black identity in a predominantly white genre.
4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?
It became a bit of a debate because the song may have challenged the traditional genre boundaries. At the beginning, it was initially classified as a country song but was then argued to be excluded from the country music chars because of 'racial bias'. Country has often been very much protected. There’s a big gatekeeping sort of vibe, and country music prevents black artists from really penetrating the scene.
5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
He suggests that today people listen as much by mood as they do by genre, upending an entire way of thinking about the importance of these generic categories. He also said that it is changing the way things chart, where they end up. And there is some uneasy cultural negotiation that needs to be done in order to decide who gets to claim what kind of music they’re making.
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?
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?
In a series of tweets, he encouraged fans to listen to his song “c7osure,” which talks about coming clean about secrets and accepting oneself. He said that “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. He then said that “deadass thought i made it obvious.”
2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'?
He is an artist whose breakthrough hit harnessed both hip hop and country sounds and fans by combining different music genres that wouldn't typically go together.
3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society?
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.
Propp:
-Lil Nas X character as hero
-Billy Ray Cyrus as the donor/sidekick
2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'?
He is an artist whose breakthrough hit harnessed both hip hop and country sounds and fans by combining different music genres that wouldn't typically go together.
3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society?
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.
Propp:
-Lil Nas X character as hero
-Billy Ray Cyrus as the donor/sidekick
-Villain could possibly the guy with the shotgun, stereotypical 'red neck'
Todorov:
-Disequilibrium could be the hold they 'fell through'
-New equilibrium, the 'present day', new place for them
Strauss:
-1800s vs modern day
-Historic vs contemporary
2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?
-Mimics a western film, could be a homage
-Whip crack sounds
-Genre fusion
-Costume changes, 'fish out of water'
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.
-Fast paced
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.
-Fast paced
-Montage/slow pans
-Juxtaposition, bingo hall -> line dancing
-Sound bridges
4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?
-Cultural conviviality
4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?
-Cultural conviviality
-Men wearing pink, challenges traditional masculinity
-Brightly coloured clothing
-'Yeehaw agenda'
5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture.
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?
It featured people such as: 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.
-Archetypal: A representation that is very typical of a person, place or thing.
-Archetypal: A representation that is very typical of a person, place or thing.
-Cultural Myth: Deeper ideologies that have been shaped through cultural coding through connotations over time.
-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.
study of which can reveal the dominant ideas and values of culture.
3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?
Lil Nas X had knowledge of social media that was a major factor in how this happened. Firstly, he was a fan of Nicki Minaj and ran an anonymous Twitter account named @nasmaraj. Lil Nas X, despite saying he did not run the account later admitted he did. Lil Nas X had a clear understanding of social media’s role in marketing and promotion of stars even before he released his own music.
4) Look at the video analysis on page 3. What conventions of the western can be found in the video?
The use of the horse is a convention since cowboys in westerns usually tend to be riding horses.
The video begins with Lil Nas X riding through a countryside being chased by the sheriff and his deputies.
6) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the modern-day part of the video?
7) How can the video be read as a reinforcement of capitalism and the American dream?
8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality?
It suggest how Los Angeles represents a land of opportunities. This can be seen in the car race where the horse beats the car which earns his some cash. This shows how money can be possibly earned fairly.
9) How is masculinity represented in the video?
Instead of a dominant male we have a duo of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, who are more reminiscent of the Genre of Integration. However, in the early part of the video just as they are about to be shot by the suspicious people in the homestead, Cyrus states: “This should be fine, we’ll settle in here for the night.” Lil Nas X replies “I don’t know man. Last time I was here, they weren’t too welcoming to outsiders.” This element is characteristic of The Genre of Order where the space –
“the land” is being contested through threats of violence.
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 is quite useful because effectively to the video as it draws attention to the performative 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.
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