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 main debate is whether Old Town Road should be classified as a country song or not. Billboard initially removed it from the country charts, arguing it didn’t “fit” the genre, which sparked discussion about how genres are defined and who gets to decide.
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 relatively unknown artist who made the song using a cheap online beat and released it independently. He used platforms like TikTok and meme culture to promote it, which helped it go viral very quickly. The song’s success was driven more by internet culture than traditional music industry promotion.
3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?
The Yeehaw Agenda is a cultural movement that highlights and reclaims Black cowboy identity and Black contributions to country and Western culture. It emerged through social media, fashion, and music as a way of challenging the idea that these spaces are traditionally white. It connects to Old Town Road by showing how Black culture intersects with country aesthetics.
4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?
The removal of Old Town Road from the country charts led many people to argue that Black artists are often excluded from the country genre. It raised questions about whether the decision was based purely on sound or influenced by racial expectations about who “belongs” in country music. This turned the situation into a wider discussion about racism and representation in the music industry.
5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
Charlie Harding concludes that the Old Town Road situation shows genres are socially constructed rather than strictly defined by musical elements. He suggests that industry decisions, marketing, and cultural assumptions all shape what counts as a genre. Overall, he uses it to highlight how race and power influence music classification.
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 hinted at and then openly confirmed his sexuality on social media, particularly on Twitter, during Pride Month 2019. He encouraged fans to “listen closely” to his lyrics and later made posts that clearly stated he was gay. He did this in a subtle but direct way, without a big formal announcement or media interview.
2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'?
The article calls Old Town Road “genre-blurring” because it mixes elements of country, rap, and hip-hop music. It doesn’t fit neatly into one category, which is why it challenged traditional ideas of what country music sounds like. This blending also reflects how modern music is increasingly shaped by digital culture and crossover influences.
3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society?
Country music has shown social change by slowly becoming more open to diversity in both sound and representation, even though it has traditionally been seen as conservative and white-dominated. The debate around Old Town Road highlighted tensions around race, sexuality, and inclusion within the genre. It reflects how wider American society is questioning older cultural boundaries and becoming more diverse.
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.
The Old Town Road music video features narrative theories such as the equilibrium theory provided by Todorov, as the closure and resolution of the music video involves a happy ending showing cultural conviviality which celebrates multiculturalism. Furthermore, we can see Lil Nas X as a hero and protagonist with Billy Ray Cyrus as his helper, showing reversed traditional ethnic roles which challenges post-colonialist values and reflects the Yeehaw agenda where social media in the 21st century celebrates black cowboy reinvented aesthetics in a post-racial world. This showcases Propp's character types theory used in the music video. Furthermore, there are action and enigma codes at the start in the old world in which there is a gunshot, running, and falling through a tunnel before they reach the modern world. Lastly, there is culture clash portrayed with binary oppositions such as a horse versus a car, old world versus new world, western genre versus rap genre, white versus black, etc. These conflicts are all resolved at the end, which showcases the juxtaposition throughout the video, generating humour.
2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?
The music video involves iconography of the Western genre, with conventions including cowboys, outlaws, the wild west settings, horses, guns, cowboy hats, etc. They also have intertextual references in the video, which are reliant on our knowledge of Western genres. These conventions include the lyrics, "You can't tell me nothing", which reflect Kanye West lyrics, and also brands such as Fendi, Gucci, Wrangler, Maserati, etc., which are contemporary brands, mentioned, reflecting the American dream culture. There are also many cameos, including Chris Rock and DJ Diplo, which has star power appeal, leading to marketing success.
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 consisted of camera work including slow pans in the modern world, which is common with the hip hop genre. There were also some freeze frames introducing each character with a whiplash sound and showing the name of the character appearing on the screen, which again reflects star power. There was also high angle crane shots at the start over the desert, which gave a cinematic feel. The typography involved serif font saying the name of the music video at the start, which connotes typical western traditional genre. There was also mise-en-scene such as the costumes and props that brought the video together, providing binary oppositions in the two worlds and making the hybrid genre stand out.
4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?
The music video consisted of representations of race and ethnicity being subverted regarding traditional stereotypes. We can see that the roles of the characters of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus have been reversed in terms of traditional ethnic roles put together by traditional Western genres. This reflects the yeehaw agenda and challenges post-colonialist values in a post-racial world. Furthermore, the whole concept of the hybrid genre, which is unique, showcases how the contemporary world accepts and allows the exploration of innovative ideas when it comes to genre. This is because Lil Nas X is a black cowboy, which was uncommon in traditional settings which involved white western cowboys. So he is challenging traditional stereotypical roles in terms of race and ethnicity.
5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture.
The video represents American culture, showcasing the hyperreality of an American dream coming true through the visuals and conventions used in the modern world show. There are also traditional stereotypes surrounding sexuality subverted as Lil Nas X is a gay cowboy, which was uncommon traditionally. The white western cowboy image is reinforced through Billy Ray Cyrus. However, representations of culture have been subverted as the video ends with a snapshot connoting cultural conviviality and embracing multiculturalism, which showcases that the conflict and contrast in the video has been submerged. However, in terms of gender, traditional stereotypes of cowboys being a male role have been reinforced as we don't see any cowgirls in the music video. The main characters are cowboys and it shows that even in the contemporary world, gender roles are followed traditionally in some cases.
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?
The music video featured cameos from comedians 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.
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.
3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?
Lil Nas X took just 16 months to become a global phenomenon with Old Town Road and it was his 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. 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 tweet-decking. 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?
The video uses many western genre conventions including cowboys, a stranger riding into town, horse riding, sheriff and deputies, rugged/deserted countryside, bank robbery and hostage references, hick hoe-down dancing, and horse vs. car showdowns. These all reference traditional western iconography and narratives.
5) How does the video begin?
The video begins in media res, showing Lil Nas X riding through rugged countryside while being chased by the sheriff and his deputies.
6) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the modern-day part of the video?
The factsheet suggests the modern-day Los Angeles setting creates a binary opposition/juxtaposition with the Wild West setting. It presents the city as welcoming and friendly, where the “dance-off” and “car-race” are shown positively, helping create a message of inclusivity, community, and acceptance of outsiders.
7) How can the video be read as a reinforcement of capitalism and the American dream?
The video reinforces capitalism and the American Dream through the intertextuality and repeated imagery of wealth and consumption, such as the Maserati, dollar signs, diamonds, rhinestones, flashy suits, sunglasses, and money bags. These symbols suggest that success, wealth, and luxury are rewards for hard work/risk-taking, supporting the myth that everyone can achieve prosperity through opportunity.
8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality?
The video creates a hyperreality by presenting an idealised and unrealistic version of reality, particularly through its portrayal of Los Angeles as a fair, welcoming, and opportunity-filled place. It ignores real social issues such as crime and instead shows exaggerated scenarios—like Lil Nas X beating a car on horseback and easily winning money—which create a simulated version of the American Dream rather than a truthful representation.
9) How is masculinity represented in the video?
Masculinity is represented in a way that both uses and subverts traditional cowboy stereotypes. The cowboy is usually shown in American culture as self-reliant, macho, tough, and hyper-masculine. However, in Old Town Road, Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus challenge this by wearing stereotypically feminine dress codes, including pink, roses, and jewels. This feminises the traditional cowboy image and offers a more varied, unconventional representation of masculinity, challenging the usual hyper-masculine portrayal of both cowboys and male music artists.
10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful?
Theories suggested for this CSP include Thomas Schatz’s genres of order and integration, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, David Gauntlett’s identity theory, Paul Gilroy’s double consciousness, and Stuart Hall’s theory of transcoding stereotypes. The most useful theories are arguably Butler’s and Hall’s because they are most directly relevant to the video’s representations. Butler helps explain how the pink suits, flowers, and jewellery show gender as performative by challenging traditional cowboy masculinity, while Hall is useful for analysing how Lil Nas X subverts stereotypes of the aggressive black male through his friendly, playful portrayal in the video.
A/A* extension tasks
I think that digital media is changing how music videos are consumed and spread globally - instead of audiences passively consuming content, social media platforms allow people (including celebrities like Miley Cyrus) to instantly react, create memes, and share interpretations of a music video, which helps the song spread virally and gain cultural momentum very quickly. This means the meaning and popularity of music is no longer controlled only by the artist or record label, but is co-created by online audiences. Overall, it shows that digital media has made music promotion more interactive, fast-moving, and audience-driven, where memes and online reactions can become just as important as the original song or video itself.
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