Everywhere around NC State’s campus you can always hear the slight hum of Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’; whether it’s around Talley, the residence halls or from any other gatherings. The new song, which initially rose to fame through internet memes and TikTok videos, has taken the college scene by storm. Yet, the country-trap songs creation story represents more than a college party anthem but acts as a reflection of societal injustice.
In March, Billboard removed the song from its Top Country 100 list leading to an outbreak of controversy regarding the reasoning for the songs dismissal. Billboard said in a statement to Rolling Stone, “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.”
Many music industry workers agree that the song lacked country music qualities and that it was simply a hip-hop song tagged as country to quicken its fame. However, Twitter quickly took to writing that the issue was not the nature of the song, but rather a greater issue of institutionalized racism that has provided injustice for people of color in the music industry for decades.
A similar example of African-Americans being expunged from the country music category was seen when Beyonce’s song ‘Daddy Lessons’ was rejected from the Grammys in 2016. Although the song undoubtedly contained all of the features and elements of average country music, the song was denied.
Why? Perhaps because the artist behind these songs do not contain all of the stereotypical elements of what a country singer looks like; a white American from the south. The country genre, originally coined as hillbilly music, existed in the early 1900s and did actually contain a fair bit of African-American participation according to historian Patrick Huber’s essay “Black Hillbillies.” After the interracial music exchange, this music went unacknowledged as the country industry grew into its current, cookie-cutter white industry.
It is important for our society to hear the injustices of a predominantly white institution, the country music industry, oppressing and denying people of color the opportunity to enter and contribute. This is institutionalized racism. Although it is far less overt and more subtle, it is still an example of inequality present in our society.
After Lil Nas X’s rejection, he retaliated with a remix of the same song featuring country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus. Although this has helped the song and in its country elements re-enter the conversation, it is key to recognize that, this is another example of people of color bringing in ‘a white man’ in order to be taken seriously.
NC State and college students everywhere can support the country-trap single and vote with their dollars by streaming the song or purchasing it. Especially as a southern school, our approval of the song can reinforce more support from the community that is usually associated with country music. As a result, the increase in support over the song’s popularity will eventually force Billboard to reconsider their claim about how country the song is and recognize their implicit bias that existed in the first place.
Although a small battle, the repercussions of this song’s success can open the door for people of color in music industries that were originally created without them in mind. Not to mention, this is probably one of the easiest movements to join. All you have to do is jam out to it.
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus have not “ended racism” as Twitter so lightly puts it. They have brought forth an issue and example of racism and inequality that Americans need to be more aware of moving forward.
