Old Town Road: Postcolonial theories

 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 hats, cow prints, rhinestone, fringed suede jackets etc. 

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

Bri Malandro set up an Instagram page which functions both archive and celebration of black cowboy aesthetics in popular culture.

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

Wrangling cattle and riding horses etc. were all practiced by black Americans since the 1800's and the impact African American men and women have had on cowboy culture is not well known. during the civil wars, the slaveowners left to fight leaving all their work for the slaves and by the end of the war, black Americans were experts with 25% of cowboys being black.

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

Compton Cowboys have preserved history of black cowboys even starting to sell merch. The have partnered up with Pyer Moss who are a label prominent in western-inspired looks, who also had  a fashion show featuring the Compton Cowboys.

Telfar, another label, emphasised the importance of black cowboy aesthetics on a fashion runway.

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

 Suggests that due to being a black artist, Lil Nas X's Old Town Road was taken of the Country charts. Country music is a genre dominated by white people, so a black artist would've have seem like invading their space to the country musicians - fear of the other (othering - Gilroy - postcoloninlism). 

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

The singers southern twang and the reminiscent twang from the other voices of the other musicians,  the banjo and the backdrop appropriately matched the aesthetics associated with country music. 

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

Rock and roll, punk, riot grrrl and electronic music.

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

In my opinion, due to movements like 'Black Lives Matter', racial discrimination and injustice to black people, the Yeehaw movement was started to celebrate and educate people about the Black past which is unspoken of.

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?

Reinforce: 

• Stuart Hall:  Lil Nas X could be seen as 'the native' as he is portrayed as a savage Barbarian at the start of the video as he is being chased by the sheriff , played by Chris Rock who is constructed as the clown due to his comedic scenes.
• Alvarado - Lil Nas X could be seen as a dangerous person as we can see he has stole a bag of money. Chris Rock provides the humor to the music video.

Subvert: Lil Nas X could be seen as the hero who is empowered and dominant. 

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

Lil Nas X  producing Country music, adding his blend of hip-hop to it challenges double consciousness as he isn't confused between to cultures but creates his own self-identity and self-representation.

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.  

Lil Nas X's Old Town Road reinforces Stuart Hall's race representation as Lil Nas X could be seen as 'the native' as he is portrayed as a savage Barbarian at the start of the video as he is being chased by the sheriff , played by Chris Rock who is constructed as the clown due to his comedic scenes. 

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

Lil Nas X could be seen as a dangerous person as we can see he has stole a bag of money. Chris Rock provides the humor to the music video. This may have been used as these are common stereotypes of Black people, and these would communicate a narrative much quicker to an audience.

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

The father and the daughter at the start reinforces the stereotypes of the fear of 'the other', however the black sheriff subverts these stereotypes. The black Americans in the modern day are constructed to be living the American Dream. All the white line dancers admire Lil Nas X.

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 an excellent 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.