Lil Nas X Shuts Down Haters with Billy Ray Cyrus on the "Old Town Road" Remix
Photo courtesy of Lil Nas X
Montero Hill, known by the stage name “Lil Nas X” has continued to spark controversy within the world of music with his hit single “Old Town Road”. Lil Nas X initially released “Old Town Road” back in December of 2018.
Since its release in 2018, “Old Town Road” has climbed up the Billboard charts due to the assist of people creating viral videos with the track on a plethora of digital media platforms. People across the world, have utilized platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to create funny memes and videos.
As “Old Town Road” continued to ascend on the Billboard charts as a country song in March of 2018, Billboard ultimately decided to remove the song from the charts. Billboard supported the decision to remove the song by acknowledging that although ‘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”.
Considering this statement by Billboard, the decision to pull “Old Town Road” does not suffice. “Old Town Road” samples Nine Inch Nails “34 Ghosts IV” which begins with the clear introduction of a banjo on the beat. The banjo is an instrument that originated in West Africa and was later brought over to America during the slave trade. Since the creation of Country Music in the 1920s, the banjo stood at the forefront of the basis of what makes the distinctive tone of the country music genre. The Country Music Hall of Fame sites the banjo as “visually and aurally one of the most recognizable instruments associated with country music”.
So why is it that Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” doesn’t make the cut? Could it be that it threatens the current state of country music and its artists? Lil Nas X is blurring the lines between Hip Hop and Country music and has done an effortless job at maintaining the perfect balance. For the nay sayers, Lil Nas X has come back harder with the assist of Country music Legend Billy Ray Cyrus. The remix to “Old Town Road” has been released under the Country music genre officially. And let’s just all the agree that together, these two artists have united to let everyone know that this song is indeed country!
Not only is the remix to “Old Town Road” infectious, but it emphasizes the essence of country music with the addition of Billy Ray Cyrus’ southern drawl. Furthermore, every genre in music is consistently evolving and changing which naturally occurs with time. It is also imperative to recognize that Hip Hop and R&B are genres that have openly accepted the experimentation of their sound from people with varying demographics. The “Old Town Road” remix featuring Cyrus debuted as the No 1. song globally on iTunes. Reiterating that this song is here to stay as an imprint on Country music history and I look forward to seeing it soar back up the Hot Country Music chart on Billboard.
Make sure you listen to the “Old Town Road” Remix down below!! You can also stream and buy the remix here as well.