Last week, I found myself recording a video of my 2-year-old daughter dancing in her car seat to Old Town Road by Lil Nas X. The song came on as I was waiting in a drive thru line, and as soon as the beat dropped, she immediately started bopping. I had to quickly grab my phone and catch it on video to show my husband and other family members. The song itself is quite catchy and has grown on me over the past few weeks. It’s quite interesting how this song, created by a 20-year-old, has caused the amount of controversy that it has since going viral and topping the charts…. well, at least the charts it was “allowed” to be on. If you haven’t heard the song yet, I would recommend you listen to it prior to continuing this article. A simple Google search will suffice.
It’s quite interesting how this song, created by a 20-year-old, has caused the amount of controversy that it has since going viral and topping the charts…. well, at least the charts it was “allowed” to be on. Click To TweetReady?
Okay, Let’s jump right into it.
If you did your Google search, then along with the YouTube videos and lyric sites, you may have come across articles with headlines including terms such as “Cowboy cultural appropriation,” “boycotting” and maybe even “Billboard removed from chart…” These are the main topics that I want to talk about in this post, and I would love to hear your perspective on them.
For years, the term cultural appropriation has been associated with a dominant group adopting or using elements of a non-dominant group’s culture. In fact, our very own Leigh Morrison wrote about cultural appropriation as it relates to Cinco De Mayo celebrations in a Buzz post a few weeks ago.
However, the topic at hand isn’t the “normal” scenario (e.g. white models rocking braids or bantu knots, wearing native American costumes during Halloween, or even the “Turn down por que” shirts advertised during Cinco De Mayo). No, this time, it seems as if “cowboy culture” feels as though Lil Nas X has inappropriately used elements of their culture in his song. In fact, the song has received a ton of negative backlash and was even removed from the Hot Country Songs charts as Billboard informed the young artist that his inclusion on the list was a “mistake”.
Many fans and supporters took to social media to express their frustration in the decision with many believing the decision was based on race. Some even referenced similar situations from the past such as the backlash after Beyonce’s Country Music Awards performance of “Daddy Lessons” and Nelly & Tim McGraw’s collaboration on “Over and Over” that was also dubbed “not country enough” at the time. Given all the love and support that Lil Nas X has received, perhaps the most impactful display of support and lending of privilege came when Billy Ray Cyrus hopped on the remix of the song. Fans embraced this epic collaboration, and it garnered more fame for the song as it continued to top charts.
As if the song’s removal from the country charts was not enough, Lil Nas X has received even more backlash after Wrangler announced its “Old Town Road” collection, a collection that came as a result of his lyrics “Cowboy hat from Gucci, Wrangler on my booty.” Wrangler announced the new collection on Instagram and people immediately took to the comments to express themselves. “This makes me not want to buy wrangler jeans anymore tbh, the cowboy spirit is nothing to be made fun of,” one user said. Another user wrote, “Wrangler is my favorite pant, and you just had to go ruin it with old town road.”
Wrangler came to its own defense, responding, “We have a long history of using the platform of popular music to embrace a new generation of fans, while staying true to our Western heritage.” The apparel company continued: “We believe the cowboy spirit is about having courage, independence and confidence, which are the same qualities encapsulated in this limited-run, one-of-a-kind collection.” Despite the negative feedback that Wrangler is facing, most of the items have already sold out and many are wanting to know when they will be restocked.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you agree that initial removal of this song from the Billboard country charts was justified? Does it limit diversity in the country music genre? Is Wrangler’s release of the ‘Old Town Road’ collection, which you can purchase here, a form of cowboy culture appropriation? And what exactly is cowboy culture? There are Black Cowboys in this country, and I don’t think their presence or voice should be muffled by the reactions of the dominant group. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Comment below.
What exactly is cowboy culture? There are Black Cowboys in this country, and I don’t think their presence or voice should be muffled by the reactions of the dominant group. Click To Tweet
