Music Video: Old town road CSP

 Background and cultural contexts

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. 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.”

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

The yee haw agenda. This woman, Bri Malandro, tweeted about how a lot of black artists are getting interested in sort of the country aesthetic. And the way that Lil Nas X factored into that is, while people were picking up on the good ol’ cowboy/cowgirl aesthetic,

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

After billboard removed the song from their list it became a race argument, despite them admitting it is not about the race and everything about the music their reasoning prevents black people in the genre to ever make it big from their definition.

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

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?

Twitter , he said listen to c7osure.

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

As a genre-blurring artist whose breakthrough hit harnessed both hip hop and country sounds and fans, 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? 

It showed the "trend"/ influence doing something bold or out of the ordinary can do. After Lil Nas X came out many other country artists came out as well and showed how open they are to the idea of LGBTQ.

Old Town Road textual analysis

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

Levi-Strauss’-  binary opposites is clear in the juxtaposition between the 1800s and modern day.

Propp: Hero- lil nas x Billy ray cyrus - side kick

Todorov: Disequilibrium when they fall through the hole in time. The new equilibrium is them finding a new place in the modern world. 

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

Cowboy hat is classic western. Intertextuality of Las Vegas logo on lil nas X.

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.

Lots of fast paced editing when the horses are involved.

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

The video celebrates Black identity in a genre typically seen as white-dominated.

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

Gender norms are challenged when Lil Nas X wears pink which go against masculine norms.

Old Town Road Media Factsheet

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.

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.

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. 

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

He utilised search-engine optimisation, Lil Nas X listed the song on iTunes and SoundCloud as

country not rap.

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

Hoe down and horse show down, Stranger riding into town, Riding in a country side, Bank robberies.

5) How does the video begin? 

The exposition of the video starts in media res (in the middle of action) and shows Lil Nas X riding through rugged countryside of the outback 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.

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

The Maserati car, the dollar sign, diamonds, rhinestones, the Super Mall, flashy suits and

high-end sunglasses connote the capitalist nature of America.

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

The hyperreality of The American Dream, a cultural myth that states everyone should have equal access and opportunities, especially when it comes to success.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

It is depicted as self-reliant, macho and tough, often self-sacrificing and shun 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’s theory 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.