Old town Road

Question 1

What is old town road

Answer 1

Old town road is a music video featuring lil nas x and billy ray cyrus essentially starting off a horse chase and then falling into a magic hole which took them to a street where it was Normal life

Question 2

What genre of music is it

Answer 2

It’s a hybrid music video
Country and rap

Question 3

Who is the music video owened by

Answer 3

Sony - a high production values and stark making company

Question 4

What are key term and conventions throughout the music video of both the country and the hip hop

Answer 4

Western
Cowboys
Guns
Horses
Sheriff
Setting
Hay bells
Money chase

Hip hop
Expersive clothing and items
Dance battles
Vibrant colours
Chains

Question 5

How can the rabbit hole be significant to the shots

Answer 5

Could be modern times Alice and the wonderland: intersexuality

Question 6

What does the lyric mean “last time i was here they weren’t so inviting” “your with me its all right”

Answer 6

When lil nas xs song hit the charts the billboard dint want him on it essentially because of him being a black male. But now billy a white male is in the music video Billy’s saying its okay im here now hinting at racism

Question 7

Stuart hall - stereotypes

Answer 7

Old town road is a video that undermines stereotypes of masculinity. Instead of reducing maleness to ideals of physical strength, quiet brooding and aggressive behaviour, the cowboy trope is being subverted by lil nas x and billy ray wearing a sparkly pink outfit and singing and dancing with the locals.

Question 8

How does Steve neales genre theory relate to old town road

Answer 8

Old town road demonstrates neales notion that genres are not fixed but rather subdivided nd fuse to produce something new and novel
. This innovation techniques can be utilities to minimise audiences enjoyment as well as provide elements that they still recognise and appreciate.
The typical character types settings and other iconology associated with the wester genre will be familiar to many audieneces, however lil nas x audio mix and inclusion of modern African individuals help morph this film into something completely unique. Playing with traditional codes subverts audiences expectations and introduces new and preogressuve attuides towards both gender and genres

Question 9

Judith butlers - gender performativity theory

Answer 9

Lils nas x performance in old town road resists gender binaries by presenting himself as queen
Heteronormativity is rejected by visuals and yet could be seen as pararody in the lyrics ‘cheated on my baby? My life is a movie/ bull riding and boobies.
Lil nas x swaps his plain brown cow body outfit for a more extravagant e,embellished costume: not something worn by Macho males

Question 10

Representation of setting and location

Answer 10

The urban location juxtaposes against the typical plains of a cowboy movie to emphasise and illustrate the differences between expectations off you black American men and alternate presented by lil nas x

Question 11

What are the messages and values of the music video

Answer 11

Main messages of this production was to steer away from society norms. Like the western music video will normally have a gun fight with white males where as in old town road lil nas.x is the cowboy (black and gay)nand the sheriff was also black - its showing that you don’t have too follow society norms and yo don’t have too live up to traditional expectations everyone tells you too live up too

Question 12

What gender role are presentaed in the music video

Answer 12

The girl calling for her father to help her shows the typical role that men are superior and stronger and women need them to survive

Question 13

What audeince is the music video for r

Answer 13

Anyone who likes hip hop music

Question 14

Representation of age

Answer 14

Lil nas x dancing with the older women in the end - its unusual due to the older genderaion noormally known to have a vendetta against black male so its a change too see that

Question 15

What is Paul gilroys theory

Answer 15

Colonialism: taking over another country to run and exploit it
We were trying to increase the British empires
Paul gilroys says that we can still see this effect in media
He says that you can still see ethinic minotries as being dehumanised and “other”
They aren’t seen as being a good and powerful as white British communities has

Question 16

How does Paul gilroys theory relate to old town road

Answer 16

• the racism of the billboard and white male having to protect the black male

Subverts it
- black male in a western movie
- a black male as a sherrif
- the main role

Key Points of Connection:
Cultural Hybridity and Genre Blending:
Gilroy’s Black Atlantic argues that Black identity and culture are constantly evolving and cannot be confined to a single national narrative. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” exemplifies this fluidity by blending country music (often associated with white, rural America) with trap and hip-hop (primarily linked to Black urban culture). This genre-blurring disrupts traditional racial boundaries and creates a new, hybrid cultural product, reflecting Gilroy’s view that Black culture is shaped by a mix of influences across time and space.
Challenging Racial Boundaries:
Gilroy critiques the rigid national and racial boundaries imposed on Black identity. “Old Town Road” challenges these by integrating Black musical expressions with country, a genre that has historically marginalized Black artists. The controversy around Lil Nas X’s exclusion from the Billboard country charts highlighted this racial gatekeeping. In response, Billy Ray Cyrus, a white country artist, joined the remix, underscoring the constructed nature of genre distinctions. Gilroy’s theory supports this blending as an act of resistance against racialized structures of identity.
Afrofuturism and Disruption of Time:
Gilroy also explores how Black artists use cultural production to disrupt linear understandings of time, incorporating the past, present, and future into their work. “Old Town Road” taps into elements of Afrofuturism, presenting a reimagining of the American West—historically tied to cowboys and frontiersmen, but now inclusive of Black representation. The song’s themes of freedom and movement echo Gilroy’s emphasis on the mobility of Black culture and identity, flowing across historical and spatial boundaries.
Global Circulation of Black Music:
Gilroy’s concept of the Black Atlantic emphasizes the global circulation of Black music and its role in shaping modernity. “Old Town Road” became a global hit, largely due to its viral success on platforms like TikTok. This reflects Gilroy’s argument that Black music transcends borders and helps reshape global culture. The song’s success illustrates how Black cultural forms, even when rooted in American genres like hip-hop, are shaped by and contribute to global flows of cultural exchange.