Postcolonial theory

 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? 

 western cowboy hats, cow prints, rhinestones, and fringed suede jackets

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

Compton Cowboys, a group of black community leaders in California, has pioneered the preservation of the heritage and tradition of the black cowboy while simultaneously offering direction to Compton's kids and maintaining the safety of their neighbourhoods. They have amassed more than 25,000 followers on Instagram.

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

the 1800s, yet little is known about the influence African American men and women have had on cowboy culture. Texas slaveholders engaged in battle during the Civil War, leaving cattle wrangling to the black slaves they had bought. After the war, a large number of slaves had developed into skilled cowhands, and about 25% of cowboys were black. 

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

Over the past few years, their popularity has surged to the point that Pyer Moss—a label that prominently presented western-inspired looks in its fall/winter 2018 runway show—featured the Compton Cowboys in the look book for their fall 2018 collaboration with Reebok.

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

When the 20-year-old rapper released his song “Old Town Road” along with a music video set to scenes from Red Dead Redemption 2, a Western action-adventure video game, it was initially memed on TikTok, but the track climbed toward the top of the Hot Country Billboard chart, and landed at number 19. When Billboard decided to remove the song, insisting that it “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music” for it to be considered part of the genre, the Internet revolted, with many contending that the erasure of the song from the country charts reveals a problem with race in the country music community. 

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

 Its singer’s Southern twang is, after all, reminiscent of the twang in the voices of popular country musicians, the track incorporates a banjo, and the video backdrop appropriately matched the aesthetics associated with country music. Besides, Lil Nas X is not the first rapper to make a countrified hip-hop song.

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

Just as black artists have had a hand in the invention and popularization of genres including, but not limited to, rock and roll, punk, riot, and electronic music, the ways in which black artists have shaped the sounds of contemporary country music have historically been overshadowed by the emphasis placed on white artists. 

8) In your opinion, what do you think has been the driving force behind the Yeehaw movement? 

The Yeehaw movement, in my opinion, is being driven by the perception that there weren't any black cowboys in the past, despite the reality that there were 25% of them, and the erasure of black Americans from American culture. Because the black community was not receiving the representation they needed, this infuriated them. 

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?

The music video prominently features a black cowboy protagonist played by Lil Nas X himself. This challenges the stereotype that cowboys are exclusively white, highlighting the presence and contributions of black individuals in traditionally white-dominated spaces once again contributing to the yee haw movement. On the other hand, they reinforce stereotypes like how the video showcases traditional Western aesthetics, including cowboy attire, horses, and rural landscapes. These elements can reinforce stereotypes associated with white cowboy culture rather than challenging them.

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

Lil Nas X reclaims and subverts the conventional cowboy narrative, which has historically been connected to white culture, in the music video. He questions the concept that black people must adhere to pre-existing narratives and stereotypes by putting himself as a black cowboy character at the centre of the story. Instead, he makes his own agency known and changes the cultural narrative to reflect a range of viewpoints.

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.  

Stuart Hall places a strong emphasis on the notion that cultural identities are not uniform but rather are produced by intricate connections and hybridization. The blending of the hip-hop and country genres in "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X is an example of this cultural hybridity. Lil Nas X challenges preconceived ideas about blackness and country music by fusing these seemingly unrelated genres, producing a fresh and dynamic take on racial identity and music.

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

The biggest contribution is humor i think through the switch between serious western acting and humorous scenes containing the comedian Chris Rock.

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

At first, the father and daughter support the preconceptions of dread of "the other," but the black sheriff challenges these stereotypes. Today's black Americans are portrayed as pursuing the American Dream. Lil Nas X is admired by all of the white line dancers.