Music Video: Postcolonial theory

Wider reading on race and Old Town Road

1) What are the visual cues the article lists as linked to the western genre? 

Cowboy hats, cow prints, rhinestones, fringed suede jackets and knee-high leather boots. 

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

In September 2018, the trend of black pop-culture figures wearing cowboy garb was dubbed the “Yeehaw Agenda” by Bri Malandro, a Texas-based pop-culture archivist. Her Instagram account, also called @theyeehawagenda, functions as both an 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'? 

The history of the black cowboy has largely been erased from American culture, and the “moment” black cowboys are having in pop culture right now has actually persisted for quite some time. That’s why an Instagram archive like Malandro’s is so important to the preservation of black influence on the Americana aesthetic. The imagery associated with Americana has been overwhelmingly white, Wrangling cattle and the riding, training, and keeping of horses are practices that have been mastered by black Americans since the 1800s, but the impact that African American men and women have had on cowboy culture is not well known. During the Civil War, Texas slaveowners left cattle wrangling up to the black slaves they purchased while the slave owners fought in battle. After the war ended, many slaves had become expert cowhands, and roughly 25 percent of cowboys were black.

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

Today, an organisation of black community leaders in California called Compton Cowboys has blazed a trail by preserving the history and legacy of the black cowboy, while also providing guidance to the youth of Compton and keeping their communities safe. Their Instagram account has garnered more than 25,000 followers, and yes, they sell merch. Over the past few years, their popularity has surged to the point that Pyer Moss—a label that prominently presented western-inspired looks in its fall/winter 2018 runway show—featured the Compton Cowboys in the look book for their fall 2018 collaboration with Reebok. Telfar, another label determined to shake up the homogenous couture landscape, has emphasized the importance of the black cowboy figure by employing this aesthetic on the runway. For Telfar, the “runway” at the fall 2019 New York Fashion Week happened to be a stage, where Ho99o9 and other musicians donned in their finest western accoutrements—including cowboy hats and chaps—and performed while models stage dove into the crowd turned moshpit. The show was appropriately titled “Country.”

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

When Billboard decided to remove the song, insisting that it “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music” for it to be considered part of the genre, the Internet revolted, with many contending that the erasure of the song from the country charts reveals a problem with race in the country music community.

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

Its singer’s Southern twang is, after all, reminiscent of the twang in the voices of popular country musicians, the track incorporates a banjo, and the video backdrop appropriately matched the aesthetics associated with country music.

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

Just as black artists have had a hand in the invention and popularization of genres including, but not limited to, rock and roll, punk, riot grrrl, and electronic music, the ways in which black artists have shaped the sounds of contemporary country music have historically been overshadowed by the emphasis placed on white artists. For example, a musician like Ray Charles may be more commonly associated with the blues or soul, but he was one of the few black artists who achieved crossover success and made major contributions to American country music in the 1960s.

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

I believe the driving force behind the Yeehaw movement is the fact that black american cowboys were erased from american culture and perceived as though there weren't any black cowboys back in the day when there actually was 25% of black cowboys. This therefore annoyed the black community as they were not getting the representation they deserved to receive. 

Applying postcolonial theory to Old Town Road

1) How does the Old Town Road music video both reinforce and challenge black stereotypes in the media?

Old Town Road reinforces the stereotype of black people living in suburban areas and the fact that they enjoy listening to rap and hip hop and break dancing. In addition it reinforces the stereotype of black people being seen as 'the other' this is shown when Lil Nas X walks into the bingo hall and all the older, white people look at him in disgust. However, it challenges black stereotypes as after Lil Nas X 

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

The Old Town Road music video challenges Gilroy's theory of double consciousness as in the bingo hall scene, there are only white people in the hall that at the beginning seem disgusted by Lil Nas X however they quickly warm up to him and Lil Nas X feels included in the line dancing sequence and like he belongs despite the fact he's the only black male in the building. 

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.  

Old Town Road reflects Hall's theory of race representations as Chris Rock is seen as the clown/entertainer by his one liners and is used for his comic lines. 

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

Humorous due to Chris Rock and his comic jokes. 

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

Lil Nas X is a gay, black artist therefore he challenges traditional stereotypes. The father and daughter in the western sequence also reinforce stereotypes of 'the other'.