Music Video: Old Town Road CSP

 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?

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

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

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

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

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?

Nas dropped a song class c7osure about coming clean about his secrets and accepting oneself,and then he tweeted a rainbow emoji and artwork from his new EP which  features an illustration of him wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse towards a building glowing with rainbow lights. His deadpan caption reads, “deadass thought i made it obvious.” Fans on social media went wild. Suggesting about his sexuality as being 'Gay' on social media

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

His 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? 

The trend in growing acceptance and support followed a nationwide social and political shift. By 2014, the states that had legalised 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. 

At the same time, the country music industry was attempting to appeal to a younger listeners, who were more generally supportive of marriage equality. As Keane wrote at the time, “chipping away at taboos that are based on sales and marketing rather than actual beliefs is a slow process,” but it was a place to start. 

And in the five years since, there has been an exciting movement past mere acceptance of LGBTQ country musicians toward supporting those musicians claiming (or reclaiming) their queer identities through their performances. 

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 mv starts in an opening of a chase scene in a western setting with 3 horses chasing Nas who is holding a bag of money, maybe suggesting he could of stole this. Additionally he meets Billy who offers him a drink and says no one will hurt you, till there is a guy with a gun and tries to shots him. He jumps in a tunnel which takes him to the modern society creating a binary opposition between the western world and modern/street/hip hop.

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

 The cowboy hats, horses, desert setting, and saloon-style scenes reflect classic Western conventions, while the confident performance style and modern outfits reflect hip-hop conventions. The video also uses intertextuality by referencing traditional cowboy movies and internet meme culture, since the song first became popular on TikTok. 

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.

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

The camerawork often uses wide shots of desert landscapes and cowboy settings to establish a classic Western feel, while close-ups of Lil Nas X highlight his confident performance and connect to hip-hop conventions. The editing is fast-paced with quick cuts between different scenes, matching the beat and giving the video a modern, energetic style. Mise-en-scene shows the  cowboy hats, horses, and saloon settings create a traditional Western world, but these are mixed with modern clothing and styling to create contrast, such as when Lil Nas X rides through a cowboy town in a flashy outfit, showing the clash of old and new genres.

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

.

The video reimagines the “cowboy,” a symbol of American masculinity, by presenting Nas in a playful, non traditional way that mixes fashion, humour, and modern hip-hop style, which challenges the idea that cowboys must be strictly rugged or masculine. It also reflects a more diverse version of America by placing a Black artist at the centre of a Western narrative, a genre that has historically underrepresented Black cowboys. In terms of sexuality and identity.

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?

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. he knew how to do this because he ran a Nicki Minaj and ran an anonymous Twitter account named @nasmaraj.

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

The video uses Western conventions such as cowboy costumes, horses, desert landscapes, saloon-style buildings, and a “stranger rides into town” narrative. It also includes typical Western ideas like standoffs, chase scenes with the sheriff, and the use of rugged, open settings that represent the American frontier.

5) How does the video begin? 

The video begins in medias res  with Lil Nas X riding a horse through a Western landscape while being chased by a sheriff and deputies. This immediately establishes the Western genre through action, setting, and sound codes like hooves and banjo-style music.

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

Modern-day LA section creates a comedic contrast with the Western world, showing a “hyperreal” and idealised version of Los Angeles. Instead of violence, there is friendliness, dance-offs, and acceptance, presenting a utopian community where outsiders are welcomed and stereotypes are challenged.

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

The mv has repeated focus on wealth, success, and material goods. Icons like money bags, luxury cars, diamonds, and flashy clothing suggest that success is measured through consumption and wealth. The idea that Lil Nas X can rise from obscurity to fame also reflects the American Dream myth that anyone can achieve success through talent and opportunity, reinforcing capitalist ideals of individual success and material reward.

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

It presents an exaggerated, idealised version of America. This version removes real world issues like crime or inequality and replaces them with friendliness, fairness, and celebration. For example, impossible events like a horse beating a sports car in a race symbolise a distorted reality where money and success are easily gained, creating a “simulation” of America rather than an accurate representation.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

The cowboy stereotype is challenged because Lil Nas X does not present a hypermasculine figure; instead, he wears colourful, decorative outfits with feminine signifiers like pinks and flowers. Even Billy Ray Cyrus is shown in a softer, less dominant cowboy role. This challenges the traditional “macho” cowboy ideal and suggests masculinity can be expressive, playful, and diverse rather than aggressive or dominant.

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

It suggests several theories, including Baudrillard’s hyperreality, Butler’s gender performativity, Stuart Hall’s representation, Gilroy’s double consciousness, and  Schatz’s genre theory (order vs integration). The most useful are Baudrillard’s hyperreality (for explaining the idealised America and distorted reality) and Butler’s gender performativity (for showing how masculinity is constructed and not fixed). These best explain how the video challenges traditional meanings in genre and identity.

A/A* extension tasks

Read this W magazine feature on how the social media world (including Miley Cyrus) reacted to the video. What does this suggest about how digital media is impacting on traditional media products like songs and music videos?  

This suggests that digital media is changing traditional media products by making them more influenced by audiences and social media rather than just record labels. In Old Town Road, platforms like Twitter and TikTok helped the song go viral and shape its meaning through memes, debate, and remix culture.  Cyrus and others reacting online also show how audience engagement can affect how a song is promoted and even changed, meaning music is now more interactive and driven by digital culture.