- It refers to a resurgence in country style, music and culture, particularly among African Americans.
4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?
- When we look at the history of where genre in pop music comes from, we’ll see that there are some not-so-pretty histories. The short of it is that what is now known as R&B so, progenitor to hip hop was at one point called “race music.” It was specifically for people who were of a specific race, whereas country music was called “hillbilly music” for people of another race. And basically we had black and white music segregated along those lines with marketing definitions, so that labels would produce music for a specific racial audience.
5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
- Absolutely. 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 aging 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.
1) How did Lil Nas X announce his sexuality on social media?
- He encouraged fans to listen to his song “c7osure,” which talks about coming clean about secrets and accepting oneself.
2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'?
- Lil Nas X's public declaration of his sexuality touches both genres. On the country side of the industry, LGBTQ visibility and celebration has come a long way in recent years.
3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society?
- The trend in growing acceptance and support followed a nationwide social and political shift. 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.
Old Town Road textual analysis
1) How is the narrative features used in the music video? Apply narrative theory here.
-Propp: Hero vs Villain
- Engima Codes: what were they running from
- Binary Opposition: western vs modern
-Action codes:guns
2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?
- tiktok, hiphop 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.
- the cars vs horses represent old vs new
4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?
- billy ray cyrus saying "hes with me" shows lil nas x won't be in danger if hes with a white man.
5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture.
- lil nas x is a gay black man performing a hip hop/ country song.
Old Town Road Media Factsheet
1) Who are the celebrities that appear in cameos in the video?
- Chris Rock
- Rico Nasty
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.
Cultural Myth: Deeper ideologies that have been shaped through cultural coding through connotations over time.
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?
- Firstly, he was a fan of Nicki Minaj and ran an anonymous Twitter account named @nasmaraj. Minaj is known for having a huge fan-base with Stans (stalker/fans) nicknamed “Barbz”. 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. By trafficking in memes, viral threads, engagement bait, and Nicki Minaj stanning, he was able to create a six-digit follower base on Twitter, a process that is known a tweetdecking. This account served as a springboard to release Old Town Road.
4) Look at the video analysis on page 3. What conventions of the western can be found in the video?
5) How does the video begin?
- Lil Nas X is being chased on his horse through the desert.
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?
-These signifiers of wealth such as clutching a money bag with a dollar sign on it, construct the hyperreality 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?
- Jean Baudrillard’s term for how the media’s representations create a simulation of reality that distorts the truth through idealising its subject matter. For example, Los Angeles has seen an increasing amount of crime year on year, this is not portrayed in the video.
9) How is masculinity represented in the video?
- In Old Town Road Both Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus are encoded in stereotypical feminine dress codes. The typical hypermasculine garb of cowboys is feminised with pink, roses and jewels, transcoding gender signifiers markets Lil Nas X as an unconventional and this set him apart from other rap and country stars.
10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful?
- Stuart Hall’s concept of transcoding stereotypes, Paul Gilroy’s idea of double-consciousness, Judith Butler’s theory.
- Hall's is most useful as Lil Nas X subverts the aggressive black male stereotype, especially in regard to the violent, misogynistic, homophobic rap star.
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