Lil Nas X - Old Town Road: Blog tasks

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?


Some people believe that the song isn't apart country music genre. Others believe this may be because lil nas x is black and stereotypically white men are 'allowed' to make country music.

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


We learned that Lil Nas X's rise to popularity was actually through social media and short form content. People were using the snippet of his song to make cowboy transition tiktoks.

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?


The Yeehaw agenda is country fashion. For instance the cloths and things that you would see in country music or country films.


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


The story became a debate about race because the song got taken down by country charts. people believed that it got removed because according to other it wasn't 'country enough' which could've been because of racial prejudices as Lil Nas X is black.


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

He said that he thought it crazy that it went from just a joke to an immediate overnight success

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?

Lil Nas X announced his sexuality on twitter saying that it was already obvious.

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

The article may have described Old Town Road as 'gender-blaring' as it features both country and Rap elements and stereotypes.

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

Herndon who was a popular '90s country star was on the headlines in 2014 as one of the first popular male artist to come out to be apart of the LGBTQ. The Song "Follow Your Arrow," WonA CMA Award for "promoting acceptance of sexuality.

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.


The narrative features that are in the music video are that is has a storyline that includes silent moments without music in order to create suspense for the next scene which also enhances the narrative.


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


Wild West attire can be seen as genre conventions of western and cowboy films.


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 music video starts with some stereotypical scenes and a slow introduction with the camera panning in and out that are common in Western films.


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


At the start of the music video it seems like a stereotypically western video with the cowboys getting chased. The after we can see one black cowboy and a white cowboy who are trying to sneak by the house and get caught by a white man who instantly starts shooting. Later on in the music video the representations were completely flipped and the black cowboy was fitting in with everyone at the hall with all the old white people and even started dancing with them.


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


We can see the new generations be represented by social media trends and their usage of phones. When the black cowboy got in the neighbourhood with his horse their first thought was to start filming.

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?


Chris Rock and Haha Davis, Vince Staples and Rico Nasty, Jozzy, 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.


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.


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


Intertexuality- The referencing of other media products within any given media text either explicitly or by allusion.


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


Lil Nas X gave into the memes and made a yeehaw challenge which consists of cowboy transitions.


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


On page 3 we can see cowboy clothing and desert settings which lead us to believe that it is western.


5) How does the video begin?


The music video begins with lil nas x fleeing with a bag of money on a horse whilst being pursued by Chris rock and his people.


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

The Factsheet says that the modern day part of the video is a juxtaposition to the start of the video.

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

The video can be seen as reinforcement of capitalism and the American dream as we can see it glorify wealth and status through what we see in the video and with Billy Ray Cyrus.   

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

the factsheet says it creates hyper reality by exaggerating wealth and status. another way is also stylising certain clothing with success.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

masculinity is shown as something that doesn't always mean wearing a suit and expensive watches. It shows that being masculine can be diverse as it uses humour to point this out as a black man is the star in a role that typically we have seen white men play in the movies.


10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful?

The theories that are mentioned on the final page are Stuart Hall’s Representation Theory, David Gauntlett’s Identity Theory, Paul Gilroy’s Theory of Double-Consciousness and Judith Butler’s Theory of Gender Performativity.

I think that Judith butler and Paul gillroy's theories are the most useful for this music video.