Music Video: Postcolonial theory

 Postcolonial theory: blog tasks

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 and fringed suede jackets.

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

In September 2018 

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

Despite 25% of cowboys being black, many had not noticed that people had become those 25% as they were former slaves and later became the cowboys we now know.

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

It is being recognised more and coming back more into fashion.

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

They said that it does not embrace enough elements of today's country music despite it containing all of the key elements of a country song. We could say that the community did not want to accept this due to their traditional views.

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

The "Singer's Southern Twang", banjo and the overall setting of the beginning.

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

Genres include: "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? 

I think that the Yeehaw Agenda is driven by people who still live in more "traditional" times, I think that they want to maintain that essence of their music but are afraid as their views won't allow them to accept black artists properly. 

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?

In the video we can see that in the beginning the sheriff is a black man which is an uncommon stereotype as usually the sheriff is a white old man. However we can see that Lil Nas x has stolen some money in which it reinforces the stereotype of black people being criminals, we also have the white old land owner with a gun which is a very common stereotype in western movies.

When Lil nas goes into the hole into the modern Old Town road we can see that he lands in a neighbourhood comprised of black people in which they are living in the the American dream, this challenges the stereotype as they are usually white people living like this.

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

I think that this music video lets people know more about the black community and history more so as a result it challenges the double consciousness theory as they won't have to look through the eyes of someone else and have their own opinion on what they think such as how the black cowboys were forgotten and how they had put that situation to light.

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.  

We can apply the role of the entertainer in the beginning and end of the video of Chris Rock's performance in both sequences. We can also apply the native role in the beginning of how Lil Nas had stolen money.

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

Dangerous in the beginning of Lil nas when he stole the money and the humorous of the sheriff and how he makes jokes.

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

We can apply this to the sheriff being black and how he subverts the normal conventions, we can also talk about the land owner and how he is trying to protect his land from the"other".

Another example would be how the people in the black neighbourhood are living the american dream.