Lil Nas X and "Old Town Road" expose the myth of Nashville's country-purity standards
5 years, 9 months ago

Lil Nas X and "Old Town Road" expose the myth of Nashville's country-purity standards

Salon  

In Atlanta last weekend the sun beat down; the hot, Southern air hung thick and moist already, not even halfway into April. "While 'Old Town Road' incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version," Billboard told Rolling Stone in a statement. The move followed this op-ed published on the website Saving Country Music, "Billboard Must Remove Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” From Country Chart," which declared, "Including Wild West signifiers or references to horses in no way qualifies a rap song with a trap beat as country. Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line posted about "Old Town Road" on his Instagram and Bill Ray Cyrus tweeted at Lil Nas X confirming that he's tuned in. But there's no doubt that "Old Town Road" has sparked a much-needed dialogue about genre and the historical and enduring confinement and displacement of black artists, especially in country music.

Music Black Country Country Music Song Road Nashville Old Town Morris Billboard Cyrus Nas Lil Old Town Road Lil Nas X Black Artists Saving Country Music  song  town  nas  music  myth  expose  road  standards  country  x  black  nashvilles  old  lil

History of this topic

Beyonce just dropped the most exciting country album of the year. What a pity Nashville didn’t want it
9 months, 1 week ago

Beyonce just dropped the most exciting country album of the year. What a pity Nashville didn’t want it

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But just 10 days before Cowboy Carter’s release, Beyoncé …

An impassioned Lil Nas X triumphs over haters and homophobes on debut album
3 years, 3 months ago

An impassioned Lil Nas X triumphs over haters and homophobes on debut album

LA Times  

The joy Lil Nas X takes in his desires calls to mind Little Richard, as does the glee with which he toys with bigots. As fully immersed in digital culture as any act in pop music, Lil Nas X probably could’ve gamed his way to another hit or two after “Old Town Road.” But beyond his strategic smarts, he also …

Lil Nas X review, Montero: Bursting with technicolour heart
3 years, 3 months ago

Lil Nas X review, Montero: Bursting with technicolour heart

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “You’s a meme, you’s a …

Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ and the delight of yet another satanic panic
3 years, 9 months ago

Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ and the delight of yet another satanic panic

LA Times  

Let’s give Lil Nas X credit for the ample ground he breaks in the splashy music video for his new song “Montero.” Released Friday, when it began its instant ascent toward the top of YouTube’s Trending chart, the clip by the singer, rapper and meme lord is the first I can recall seeing in which a long-haired gentleman slides down …

Lil Nas X 'wiped his schedule' to perform at Melbourne bushfire relief concert
4 years, 10 months ago

Lil Nas X 'wiped his schedule' to perform at Melbourne bushfire relief concert

Daily Mail  

Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X are set to perform at a bushfire relief concert in Melbourne later this month. The pair are close friends, and Lil Nas X even collaborated with Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, on a remix of his hit single Old Town Road. Giving back: Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X will perform at a bushfire …

One hit no more: Persistence pays off for Billy Ray Cyrus
4 years, 11 months ago

One hit no more: Persistence pays off for Billy Ray Cyrus

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Most people would say that Billy Ray Cyrus has been lucky to keep finding himself in the middle of massive pop culture moments over this three-decade long career in music and television. While “Old Town Road” hasn’t exactly resulted in a massive resurgence for Cyrus or his own country songs, it has reinvigorated him personally. About a …

Will Grammy voters take the ‘Old Town Road’ on Sunday?
4 years, 11 months ago

Will Grammy voters take the ‘Old Town Road’ on Sunday?

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The 2020 Grammy Awards are shaping up to be the night of the new kids, with Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X leading in nominations. _____ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: “I,I,” Bon Iver; “Norman Rockwell!,” Lana Del Rey; “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” Billie Eilish; “Thank U, Next,” Ariana Grande; “I Used …

盘点：2019年最热门的12首流行歌曲
5 years ago

盘点：2019年最热门的12首流行歌曲

China Daily  

Every song that hit No. Ariana Grande/YouTube "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande 《谢谢你，下一个》，爱莉安娜·格兰德 Ariana Grande's 2018 single "Thank U, Next" continued its Billboard Hot 100 reign into the first week of 2019. 《傻瓜》发行首周就登顶公告牌百强单曲榜，并占据榜首长达一周。 >>点击这里试听 "Old Town Road" was released on December 3, 2018. Lil Nas X/YouTube "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X 《老镇路》，利尔·纳斯·X After spending just five weeks …

Best albums and songs of 2019: Solange, Lana Del Rey and the miracle that is ‘Old Town Road’
5 years ago

Best albums and songs of 2019: Solange, Lana Del Rey and the miracle that is ‘Old Town Road’

LA Times  

For an almost-five-month stretch this year, no musician over the age of 22 could lay claim to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 — one reason it’s easy to view pop right now as a young person’s game. Lana Del Rey, “Norman F— Rockwell!” Speaking of places: A style-obsessed singer long haunted by California’s myths finally digs beneath the …

Lil Nas X on coming out: ‘I wanted to be someone that people are proud of’
5 years, 1 month ago

Lil Nas X on coming out: ‘I wanted to be someone that people are proud of’

LA Times  

The morning before Thanksgiving, Lil Nas X was driving around Atlanta recounting the whirlwind year in which he broke longstanding Billboard chart records, became the biggest gay pop star in the world and scored six Grammy nominations, including best new artist, record and album of the year. He has been going nonstop since his country-rap confection “Old Town Road” teleported …

Fiona Apple calls out Lil Nas X for sampling her song 'Every Single Night': 'Where's my money, cute little guy?'
5 years, 3 months ago

Fiona Apple calls out Lil Nas X for sampling her song 'Every Single Night': 'Where's my money, cute little guy?'

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Fiona Apple has called out …

How Jon Pardi updates big-hat country for the ‘Old Town Road’ generation
5 years, 3 months ago

How Jon Pardi updates big-hat country for the ‘Old Town Road’ generation

LA Times  

Jon Pardi this month in California. Pardi’s third major-label release since he moved to Nashville from Dixon over a decade ago, “Heartache Medication” arrives amid a widespread resurgence of affection for country from the 1990s, when the genre was ruled by showy but tradition-minded stars such as Garth Brooks, who headlined Stagecoach last year, and Alan Jackson, whose “Chattahoochee” has …

Lil Nas X Reacts To Scoring A CMA Award Nom After Country Chart Controversy
5 years, 4 months ago

Lil Nas X Reacts To Scoring A CMA Award Nom After Country Chart Controversy

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Lil Nas X has earned a nomination for the Country Music Association’s upcoming 53rd annual CMA Awards for his record-breaking song “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. https://t.co/YFMudfHWQI — nope August 28, 2019 The original version of “Old Town Road,” which was released in December, spurred wide conversation about discrimination in the country music industry when …

Blake Shelton denies new single insults Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’
5 years, 4 months ago

Blake Shelton denies new single insults Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Blake Shelton has denied that …

Lil Nas X’s viral song sets more records on Billboard charts
5 years, 4 months ago

Lil Nas X’s viral song sets more records on Billboard charts

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Lil Nas X is galloping his way to two new records on the Billboard charts thanks to the massive success of “Old Town Road.” The song that beat out Mariah Carey and “Despacito” to become the longest-running No. 1 hit in the history of the Hot 100 chart has now set records on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs …

As Lil Nas X's Old Town Road becomes all-time longest-running Billboard No 1, a look at how it got there
5 years, 5 months ago

As Lil Nas X's Old Town Road becomes all-time longest-running Billboard No 1, a look at how it got there

Firstpost  

In a way, it’s fitting that Lil Nas X has rewritten the pages of history in Billboard, the American industry bible that deemed “Old Town Road” ineligible for its country music chart because “it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music”, a decision that drew allegations of racism File it under things you never imagined would happen. In …

Lil Nas X makes history as ‘Old Town Road’ breaks Billboard Hot 100 record
5 years, 5 months ago

Lil Nas X makes history as ‘Old Town Road’ breaks Billboard Hot 100 record

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Lil Nas X’s song “Old …

Mariah Carey congratulates Lil Nas X for his smash hit Old Town Road
5 years, 5 months ago

Mariah Carey congratulates Lil Nas X for his smash hit Old Town Road

Daily Mail  

After holding the Billboard record for 24 years, pop diva Mariah Carey congratulated Lil Nas X for breaking her record with his crossover hit Old Town Road. Congrats: After holding the Billboard record for 24 years, pop diva Mariah Carey congratulated Lil Nas X for breaking her record with his crossover hit Old Town Road Carey took to to Twitter …

How “Old Town Road” Became the Longest-Running No. 1 in Hot 100 History
5 years, 5 months ago

How “Old Town Road” Became the Longest-Running No. 1 in Hot 100 History

Slate  

In the nearly four months since I last had a new No. 1 hit to write about for Slate, there have been moments, I’ll admit, when I wondered whether Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” was a deep, real, culture-connecting No. Maybe this is the moment you realized “Old Town Road” was for real, too: Eat your heart out, “Baby …

Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1
5 years, 5 months ago

Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — It’s one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper’s viral “Old Town Road” has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” for most weeks at No. 1 song of all-time,” said Lil Nas X, sporting a cowboy hat as he played “Old Town Road” in the background. “Let’s go!” “Old Town …

Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ dethrones ‘Despacito’ with new chart record
5 years, 5 months ago

Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ dethrones ‘Despacito’ with new chart record

LA Times  

Move over, Mariah and Daddy Yankee — there’s a new cowboy in town. Billboard announced Monday that “Old Town Road” — the left-field country-trap smash by 20-year-old Lil Nas X — has held on to its spot atop the Hot 100 for a record 17th week. A slow-rolling tune about horses set to a banjo lick sampled from an obscure …

‘Old Town Road’ is a record-breaking, gay-pride-celebrating, America-unifying pop-culture miracle
5 years, 5 months ago

‘Old Town Road’ is a record-breaking, gay-pride-celebrating, America-unifying pop-culture miracle

LA Times  

Lil Nas X knew just the way to goose his numbers. As much as it’s an artifact of the internet era, though, “Old Town Road” also embodies aspects of a form that long predates YouTube. Yet “Old Town Road” — whose essential 2019-ness is a feature, not a bug — demands that we reconsider these prejudices, beginning with the very …

Lil Nas X ties Billboard record set by Mariah, ‘Despacito’
5 years, 5 months ago

Lil Nas X ties Billboard record set by Mariah, ‘Despacito’

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi. The country-rap “Old Town Road” was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track …

Young Thug says Lil Nas X shouldn't have come out as gay: 'These days it's all judgement'
5 years, 5 months ago

Young Thug says Lil Nas X shouldn't have come out as gay: 'These days it's all judgement'

Daily Mail  

Lil Nas X has received a flood of support as well as hateful comments on social media since he came out in a tweet at the end of Pride Week late last month. Worried about backlash: Young Thug says Lil Nas X should have kept his sexual orientation private because 'these days it's all about judgement' in a new interview …

The infinite remix potential of "Old Town Road"
5 years, 5 months ago

The infinite remix potential of "Old Town Road"

Salon  

The year is 2029; “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X has topped the charts consecutively for a decade. Twitter users began predicting similar futures after a weekend heavy on talks of potential remixes of “Old Town Road,” the viral, genre-blurring country-trap song initially released in December 2018. Last Friday, Lil Nas X released a highly-anticipated remix of the song …

Miley Cyrus, Dwayne Wade and more show support for Lil Nas X after receiving homophobic comments
5 years, 6 months ago

Miley Cyrus, Dwayne Wade and more show support for Lil Nas X after receiving homophobic comments

Daily Mail  

Lil Nas X may be out and proud but he's not immune to homophobia. Home of phobic: The artist, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, took to Instagram Tuesday with the meme of the sad cowboy emoji pointing a gun: 'say one more home of phobic thing to me' Supportive friends: Famous friends like Dwayne Wade quickly rallied around …

Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" star power and country's queer visibility
5 years, 6 months ago

Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" star power and country's queer visibility

Salon  

On Sunday, rapper Lil Nas X of viral, genre-blurring country-trap “Old Town Road” fame came out as gay. As Salon’s Rachel Leah wrote in April, the viral success of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" sparked dialogue in the country music community about genre, race and the exclusion of black artists after Billboard pulled his single from the Hot Country …

Country rapper Lil Nas X comes out as gay in Pride tweets
5 years, 6 months ago

Country rapper Lil Nas X comes out as gay in Pride tweets

LA Times  

“Old Town Road” phenom Lil Nas X made some major allusions on Sunday, leading many to believe that he came out as gay. The country-music rapper closed out Pride Month all but saying so in a series of rainbow-hued tweets pointing fans to his song “C7osure ” and acknowledging that it might make them lose interest in him. “C7losure,” from …

Correction: US-Music-Lil Nas X story
5 years, 6 months ago

Correction: US-Music-Lil Nas X story

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a story June 10 about Lil Nas X, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Broken Bow Records had “just signed” Blanco Brown and misspelled the title of his song as “The Get Up.” Brown was signed in 2018 and the name of his song is “The Git Up.” A corrected version of the story is below: …

Lil Nas X is a meme star, sure, but his debut EP reveals a star, period
5 years, 6 months ago

Lil Nas X is a meme star, sure, but his debut EP reveals a star, period

LA Times  

Pop Music Critic Six months after he posted the song on the internet, three months after Billboard said it wasn’t a country song and two months after it went to No. 1 on the Hot 100 — where it’s stayed put ever since, fending off would-be chart-toppers from superstars like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran — Lil Nas X’s “Old …

Lil Nas X releases Old Town Road music video with Billy Ray Cyrus
5 years, 7 months ago

Lil Nas X releases Old Town Road music video with Billy Ray Cyrus

Daily Mail  

Lil Nas X brought the wild, wild west to the 21st century in his new music video for hit song Old Town Road which was released on Friday. Work of art: Lil Nas X, 20, brought the wild, wild west to the 21st century in his new music video for hit song Old Town Road with Billy Ray Cyrus, 57, …

Halsey twerks along to Lil Nas X song Old Town Road wearing leather
5 years, 7 months ago

Halsey twerks along to Lil Nas X song Old Town Road wearing leather

Daily Mail  

Halsey let loose her inner cowgirl on Wednesday. The songstress danced along to the new Lil Nas X song Old Town Road while attending a cowboy-themed birthday bash on Wednesday. Decked out in leather chaps and hot pants, Halsey, 24, twerked up a storm along to the catchy new tune. Halsey let loose her inner cowgirl while prepping for a …

Return of the cowboy: How musicians in 2019 are rewriting an American icon
5 years, 7 months ago

Return of the cowboy: How musicians in 2019 are rewriting an American icon

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ladbroke Grove rapper AJ Tracey released the song “Country …

Kids' Remix Of 'Old Town Road' Gets Lil Nas X And Billy Ray Cyrus' Seal Of Approval
5 years, 8 months ago

Kids' Remix Of 'Old Town Road' Gets Lil Nas X And Billy Ray Cyrus' Seal Of Approval

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING It’s as inspirational as it is adorable. An educator in Birmingham, Alabama, has shared footage online of her third-grade students performing their own take on Lil Nas X’s remixed version of “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. pic.twitter.com/GwhbN57I5I — Billy Ray Cyrus May 4, 2019 Merlette told HuffPost that the worldwide response to the video, which …

Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ sounds like country’s future. So why has Nashville snubbed it?
5 years, 8 months ago

Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ sounds like country’s future. So why has Nashville snubbed it?

LA Times  

The spirit of Johnny Cash — and of country music itself — is as thick as the pollen at the Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, Tenn. Born from something called the “Yee Haw Challenge” on the video-sharing app TikTok, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” has gone from viral meme to No. “It’s not surprising that ‘Old Town Road’ is where …

“Old Town Road”: Billboard’s removal of Lil Nas X from the country charts reveals problems beyond race.
5 years, 8 months ago

“Old Town Road”: Billboard’s removal of Lil Nas X from the country charts reveals problems beyond race.

Slate  

Before I talk about the new No. Because Lil Nas X had tagged the song on digital services as country, “Old Town Road” was allowed onto Hot Country Songs for a single week—it made a notably high debut at No. Billboard’s official statement, repeated across the media, was that the song “incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery does not …

Who is Lil Nas X? US rapper collaborates with Billy Ray Cyrus on ‘Old Town Road’ remix
5 years, 9 months ago

Who is Lil Nas X? US rapper collaborates with Billy Ray Cyrus on ‘Old Town Road’ remix

The Independent  

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Lil Nas X’s track “Old Town Road” was released …

Billy Ray Cyrus on Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ is the pop opportunist we’ve always known
5 years, 9 months ago

Billy Ray Cyrus on Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ is the pop opportunist we’ve always known

LA Times  

Pop Music Critic Only a rube would look at this new remix of “Old Town Road” — in which Billy Ray Cyrus jumps on the controversial country-trap hit by Lil Nas X — as an act of pure altruism. “Old Town Road,” with its sampled banjo lick and Lil Nas X’s rhymes about horses and boots, is no less a …

Lil Nas X, Country Music's Unlikely Son, Sparks Conversation On Genre And Race
5 years, 9 months ago

Lil Nas X, Country Music's Unlikely Son, Sparks Conversation On Genre And Race

NPR  

Lil Nas X, Country Music's Unlikely Son, Sparks Conversation On Genre And Race Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Lagg/Courtesy of the artist Eric Lagg/Courtesy of the artist When an artist finds their song climbing up the Billboard charts for the first time, it's usually a cause for celebration. But in the case of 19-year-old rapper Lil Nas X and …

Billboard removes rapper Lil Nas X from country chart
5 years, 9 months ago

Billboard removes rapper Lil Nas X from country chart

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Billboard told rapper Lil Nas X to take his horse and giddy up when they decided to remove his viral hit “Old Town Road” from their country charts because they determined it wasn’t country enough. In a story first reported by Rolling Stone, Billboard removed the song from the country chart, although it remains on rap/hip hop …

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