Music Video: Old Town Road CSP

 1) What is the big debate regarding Old Town Road and genre?
The debate is whether Old Town Road should be classified as country music or not. Billboard removed it from the country charts, arguing it didn’t fit the genre, while others argued it blended country and hip-hop, challenging traditional genre boundaries

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 young, relatively unknown artist who promoted the song online, especially via TikTok memes.

He bought the beat cheaply online and built the song independently.

The song’s success was largely driven by internet culture and virality, not traditional music industry routes.

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?
The “Yeehaw Agenda” refers to a cultural movement celebrating Black cowboy identity and reclaiming country/western imagery for Black artists, challenging the idea that country music is exclusively white.

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

• Critics argued that removing the song from country charts reflected racial bias, as country music has historically excluded Black artists.
• The debate exposed how genre classifications can reinforce racial boundaries in the music industry. 

5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?
Charlie Harding suggests the controversy shows that genre is socially constructed, not fixed, and shaped by industry power, culture, and race, rather than just musical characteristics.


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?
He came out on Twitter, subtly referencing lyrics from his song C7osure and encouraging fans to “listen closely,” rather than making a direct statement at first.

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

• Country elements (banjo, cowboy imagery)
• Hip-hop/trap beats
  This hybrid challenges traditional genre categories.

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

• Becoming more diverse and inclusive
• Highlighting tensions around race, identity, and tradition in America

3) Country music and social change

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

Follows a linear narrative: cowboy outlaw transported to modern day.

Can be linked to Todorov:

• Equilibrium: cowboy life
• Disruption: transported to present
• New equilibrium: success in modern world

Also uses Levi-Strauss binary oppositions:

• Past vs present
• Rural vs urban
• Tradition vs modernity

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

• Western conventions: horses, cowboy hats, saloons
• Intertextual references:
  • Western films
  • Cowboy stereotypes
  • Celebrity cameos referencing pop culture 

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.

• Camerawork: tracking shots of horse riding → emphasises movement and freedom
• Editing: fast-paced cuts → comedic tone and energy
• Mise-en-scène:
  • Western costumes vs modern luxury (cars, mansions)
  • Juxtaposition creates humour and meaning 

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

Challenges stereotypes by placing a Black cowboy at the centre

Reclaims Black presence in Western history

Shows Black success in both historical and modern America

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

• Gender: playful masculinity, less aggressive, more humorous
• America: blend of myth (Wild West) and modern capitalism
• Class: rise from outsider to wealthy success 

1) Who are the celebrities that appear in cameos in the video?

• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Chris Rock
• Diplo
• Vince Staples
• Rico Nasty 

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.

Intertextuality: referencing other media texts to create meaning

Genre hybridity: mixing elements from different genres

Hyperreality: when media representations blur the line between reality and fiction

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

• Promoted through TikTok memes and challenges
• Engaged directly with fans online
• Used internet culture to bypass traditional promotion 

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

• Horses and cowboy attire
• Gun duels / saloons
• Lawmen vs outlaws 

5) How does the video begin? 

With a classic Western shootout scene, establishing the cowboy narrative.

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

• Success and wealth
• Contrast with past
• Commentary on modern celebrity culture 

 

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

Narrative of rising from nothing to wealth

Success shown through material goods (cars, houses)

Reinforces idea that anyone can “make it”

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

• Unreal blending of:
  • Wild West
  • Modern suburban America
• Creates a fantastical version of reality

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

• Less traditional “tough cowboy” masculinity
• More playful, ironic, and performative
• Challenges stereotypes 

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

• Postmodernism (genre blending, intertextuality)
• Representation theory (Hall)
• Baudrillard (hyperreality)

Postmodernism + Representation theory, because they explain both the style and cultural meaning.