Music Video: Postcolonial theory

Wider reading on race and Old Town Road

Read this W Magazine deep dive on the Yeehaw agenda and answer the following questions: 

1) What are the visual cues the article lists as linked to the western genre? 

Cowboy hat, Cow print, Rhinestones, fringed suede jackets, denim, horses, guns.

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

The history of black cowboys had been erased from American culture and the “moment” black cowboys are having in pop culture right now has actually persisted for quite some time. That’s why an Instagram archive like Malandro’s is so important to the preservation of black influence on the Americana aesthetic. The imagery associated with Americana has been overwhelmingly white, so much so that the Studio Museum in Harlem even held a “Black Cowboy” exhibition two years ago, featuring photographic works from Kahlil Joseph, Deanna Lawson, and Chandra McCormick that aimed to bring the black cowboy to the forefront of western history.

3) Why has it been suggested that the black cowboy has been 'erased from American culture'? 

Historians argue that Black cowboys were erased because early 20th century Hollywood and literature whitewashed the Western genre, replacing a racially diverse reality with a myth of exclusively white heroism. This cultural exclusion was reinforced by systemic racism and historical narratives that deliberately omitted Black contributions to the American Frontier to suit a segregated society.

4) How has the black cowboy aesthetic been reflected by the fashion industry?

Wrangling cattle and the riding, training, and keeping of horses are practices that have been mastered by black Americans since the 1800s, but the impact that African American men and women have had on cowboy culture is not well known. During the Civil War, Texas slaveowners left cattle wrangling up to the black slaves they purchased while the slaveowners fought in battle. After the war ended, many slaves had become expert cowhands, and roughly 25 percent of cowboys were black.

5) Read the section on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. What does it suggest about race and the country music community?

Ideas about what counts as “country music” are not purely musical, but also shaped by cultural gatekeeping that has historically excluded Black artists. The controversy around Old Town Road implies that genre boundaries can be policed in ways that reflect broader racial biases, especially when Black artists succeed in spaces that are traditionally associated with white performers. The backlash and Billboard’s removal of the song point to tensions over who is seen as “authentically” country.

6) What elements of the song and music video are suggested to be authentically country and western?

The song and video are linked to country and Western authenticity through elements like a Southern vocal twang, use of banjo, cowboy imagery, rural Western settings, and visuals inspired by the video game Red Dead Redemption 2.

7) What genres of music does the article suggest have been shaped by black influences? 

Black artists have significantly shaped rock and roll, punk, riot grrrl, electronic music, and country music, with figures like Ray Charles highlighted as key contributors to country and folk traditions.

8) In your opinion, what do you think has been the driving force behind the Yeehaw movement?

The Yeehaw movement is driven by a desire to reclaim and celebrate the history of Black cowboys, correct historical erasure, and use social media and pop culture to make Black Western identity more visible and widely recognised. 

Applying postcolonial theory to Old Town Road

Revise the postcolonial theories we have studied and apply them to the Old Town Road music video: 

1) How does the Old Town Road music video both reinforce and challenge black stereotypes in the media?

It references familiar tropes such as the outlaw figure, exaggerated confidence, and humor, which can align with stereotypical portrayals of Black masculinity. However, by placing a Black cowboy at a traditionally white coded Western genre, Lil Nas X challenges the exclusion of Black identities from country culture. The video’s playful tone and genre blending expose how artificial these stereotypes are, ultimately using them as tools for critique rather than reinforcement.

2) How could you argue that the Old Town Road video challenges Gilroy's theory of double consciousness?

Gilroy’s concept of double consciousness suggests a tension between Black identity and dominant cultural norms. In Old Town Road, this tension appears reduced or even absent. Lil Nas X seamlessly blends elements of hip-hop and country without signaling conflict, presenting identity as fluid and self-defined. Rather than navigating two opposing identities, he constructs a hybrid persona that feels unified, suggesting a shift beyond double consciousness toward a more integrated and postmodern understanding of identity.

3) How does Lil Nas X and Old Town Road provide an example of Hall's theory of race representations? Alternatively, you could argue against this if you prefer.  

Hall argues that race is constructed through representation rather than fixed reality, and Old Town Road demonstrates this clearly. By inserting Black figures into Western imagery, the video reveals how the “cowboy” has been culturally coded as white through selective representation. Lil Nas X disrupts this by reclaiming the image, showing that racial meanings are flexible and shaped by media. The video supports Hall’s idea that representation is a site of power where identities can be both limited and redefined.

4) Are there any examples of Alvarado's theory of black stereotypes in the Old Town Road video? Why/why not?

the humorous stereotype is most visible through the video’s comedic exaggeration and absurd scenarios. There are also hints of the “dangerous” outlaw trope, but these are presented in a playful, non-threatening way. Rather than reinforcing these stereotypes, the video exaggerates them to the point of parody, weakening their traditional impact.

5) How does Lil Nas X provide a compelling case study for bell hooks's theory of intersectionality?

Lil Nas X exemplifies this as a Black, queer artist operating in both hip-hop and country spaces, which have historically marginalised queer identities. His success challenges expectations around race, sexuality, and masculinity simultaneously. Old Town Road therefore illustrates how identity cannot be understood through a single lens, making Lil Nas X a strong example of intersectionality in contemporary media.

A/A* extension task: 

Media Magazine - This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest
Read This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest in MM65 (p14). You can find this in our Media Magazine archive. This is a great article on the power of music video in American culture. 

This excellent Berkeley Political Review article on the Yeehaw Agenda is worth a read, expanding on the issues discussed in the W deep dive above.