Music Video: Old Town Road CSP

 

1) What is the big debate regarding Old Town Road and genre?

People say that it shouldn't count as a country song as there are hiphop elements of the song

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

thats not his real name 

He came from a poor area and had to sleep om his siblings couch 

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

representing ethnic minorities in cowboy and outlaw films 

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

he fact that Lil Nas X is a black teenager from Atlanta and country is a predominantly white genre did not go unnoticed.

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

 Old Town Road situation shows genres are socially constructed rather than strictly defined by musical elements. He suggests that industry decisions, marketing, and cultural assumptions all shape what counts as a genre.

1) How did Lil Nas X announce his sexuality on social media?

 came out as gay. In a series of tweets He punctuated the tweet with a rainbow emoji, then posted the artwork from his new EP “7,” which features an illustration of him wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse towards a building glowing with rainbow lights

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

as it is a mixture of hiphop and country which reflects different cultures into one song 

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

it has become more diverse which represents modern american values especially in the media 

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

binary opposition 

Old v Modern

Car v Horse

HipHop v country

white culture v black culture 

equilibrium theory 

living in 1899 as outlaws - get shot at and go through the time tunnel - appear in 2019 in a neighborhood 

 

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

western - Horses , outlaws , the setting , sound effects and typography of text on screen 

HipHop - dances , setting 

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.

enigma codes - how did they time travel , where did they get the money from 

costume - Typical of a western  (hats) and so is the setting 

propps of the gun and horse are also synonymous with that genre  

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

typical representations are subverted with lil nas x as he is a black male but in the western genre it is usually a white male as the lead role  

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

the american dream with refrences within the lyrics with aint nobody gonna tell me nothing connoting coming from nothing and having a drive to succeeding 

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

Chris rock , 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.

Double consciousness   The idea that conflicting racial identities can exist within an individual.

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

trafficking in memes, viral threads, engagement bait, and Nicki Minaj stanning, 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.

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

Costume - the hats , boots 

setting - middle of knowhere 

music - guitar and dances 

5) How does the video begin? 

with the artists ridding on a horse after robbing money and going into a time tunnel 

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

Los Angeles is represented as a land of opportunity and fairness, this is exemplified in the car race,

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

money bag with a dollar sign on it, construct the hyperreality of The American Dream, a cultural myth that states everyone should have equal access and opportunities,

 especially when it comes to success.

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

money bag with a dollar sign on it, construct the hyperreality of The American Dream, a cultural myth that states everyone should have equal access and opportunities,

especially when it comes to success.

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

They are depicted as self-reliant, macho and tough, often self-sacrificing and shun romantic relationships with women.

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

Stuart Hall’s concept of transcoding stereotypes could be useful ad Lil Nas X subverts the aggressive black male stereotype, especially in regard to the violent, misogynistic, homophobic rap star.