music video: old town road media lang+rep Flashcards
historical context: which platforms did lil nas x use to propel his music to viral status?
soundcloud and tiktok
historical context: why did the song stir controversy?
when billboard removed it from the country charts, arguing it “doesn’t embrace enough elements of today’s country music” which sparked conversations about who gets to define country music and how race/sexuality plays a role in those decisions
political context: what did the billboard controversy reflect?
reflected long-standing racial tensions in american music. country music has deep african-american roots but the modern industry has often sidelined black artists
political context: what did him coming out as gay do?
as one of the first openly gay black male artists in mainstream hick-hop music, his success challenged norms and pushed conversations about representation, identity and acceptance
social context: how did tiktok help the song?
the song blew up on tiktok, where users danced to it in cowboy hats (yeehaw trend), helping it go viral. it marked one of the first times tiktok influenced the billboard charts, highlighting the growing power of social media in music production.
social context: how was OTR produced?
with a $30 beat purchased online from YoungKio
social context: how did previously running twitter meme accounts help lil nas x?
his deep understanding of internet humour helped him build a brand that resonated with Gen Z
cultural context: cowboy identity
the remix featuring billy ray cyrus leaned heavily into cowboy imagery. it highlighted how black culture has always been part of the “cowboy” identity, despite being largely erased from pop culture.
cultural context: which areas did lil nas x disrupt traditional expectations?
genre, race, sexuality, style
media representation: what does OTR challenge conventions of?
challenges conventions of western movies by having a mostly black cast. many westerns were made in the mid 20th century when casting white men in lead roles was more typical
media representation: black lead character
this is unusual in any product set in the 1800s-1900s as historically black people were given very little equality and freedom at that time. the black sheriff may be shocking to audiences yet engaging which gives the video a unique selling point for modern audiences
media representation: how are women shown?
women are shown as passive background characters. women often tend to be objectified in genres such as country and rap
media representation: how are men represented?
men are represented as powerful which is a typical representation of masculinity
media representation: where did the banjo sounds come from?
samples banjo sounds from the Nine Inch Nails song 34 Ghosts - postmodern music video
media representation: where was the song first released?
on youtube with a montage of clips from the video game Red Dead Redemption
media representation: how lil nas x and billy ray cyrus subvert gender norms?
transcoding gender signifiers markets lil nas x as unconventional and this sets him apart from other rap and country stars. the dress codes encodes billy in a totally different way, offering a more varied representation of masculinity
media representation: lil nas x partnering with billy ray cyrus
after the song was removed from the charts, lil nas x did the remix with billy ray cyrus. this may explain why the video has so many conventional elements of the western genre. could be a subtle dig at Billboard for saying the song wasn’t ‘country enough’
media language: the opening mise-en-scene and the name credits
- the shutter shot revealing the mise-en-scene makes the video seem cinematic - classic western opening
- the freeze frame with the non diegetic ‘whip’ effect of names is a feature of western movies
media language: what is the significance of the sheriff?
the sheriff (chris rock) says “if you see a black man on a horse, you have to let him fly” which connotes ideas of racial unity and togetherness.
it is unusual that chris rock has been given a position of power as a sheriff because he is black and this is unconventional for the western genre
media language: what role does the white female play?
the white female seems to play the role of the damsel in distress. her scared facial expressions and her call to ‘daddy’ represented her as vulnerable and needing and older man to protect her
media language: what is the significance of the juxtaposition of ‘everything’s going to be alright”?
this phrase along with the gunshot emphasised the danger they are in. calm vs chaotic. white vs black. reflects the context of white privilege and if you are with a white man you are safer
media language: binary opposite in clothing
modern clothing vs old fashioned western emphasises time differences and makes lil nas x seem out of place
media language: what is the significance of the reference to ‘mama’?
the boy calls out ‘mama’ which draws attention to modern context of women being able to protect their family
media language: what do the montage of slow motion long takes emphasise?
emphasises their shock of seeing him and makes him seem ‘other’. his outfit doesn’t fit in. mechanic job played by YoungKio suggests they are in a working class town
