Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road": Part-Country, Part-Rap Gem

Recently, the interwebs have been going crazy over "Old Town Road," a catchy ode to that cowboy life. The viral hit, sung by newbie rapper... err, redneck... Lil Nas X, is super lucky as it has spread like wildfire to spawn tons of streams, a funny TikTok challenge, and dozens of celebrity fans promoting it. Not bad for a newcomer, and certainly not bad for his first song ever - which wasn't even recorded under a big label.

Now, Columbia Records is cashing in on the song by putting out a remix featuring the father of achy breaky hearts himself, Billy Ray Cyrus. A tad bit unnecessary if you'll ask me, as Miley's dad contributes but a few lines.

"I got the horses in the back/Horse tack is attached/Hat is matte black," Lil Nas X raps with a distinct country 'twang.'

Defying genre conventions

Pop or urban crossovers are nothing new in the world of country music. Taylor Swift finally donned that red lipstick in 1989, while Florida Georgia Line decided that they were "meant to" collaborate with Bebe Rexha. What makes Lil Nas X's effort different, however, is the fact that he is black.

In fact, its status as a country song was supposed to be legitimized when it entered the Billboard last month... until the chart behemoth, which outraged fans who called out its 'casual racism.'

Lil Nas X himself posted that he was "extremely disappointed," to which Billboard reacts to in a Rolling Stone statement:

"When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition. 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."

Things change, henny.

Tags

Lil Nas X, Billy ray cyrus, Hip-hop, Rap, Country