Who is Lil Nas X? US rapper collaborates with Billy Ray Cyrus on ‘Old Town Road’ remix
Country-rap song becomes internet sensation thanks to TikTok memes
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A country-rap song by US hip-hop artist Lil Nas X has become a worldwide hit, topping the iTunes chart and spawning a series of memes, following an unlikely collaboration with 90s star Billy Ray Cyrus.
Lil Nas X’s track “Old Town Road” was released in December but has become an internet sensation in recent weeks after being shared widely on the social media app TikTok. Driven by a trap beat and a banjo riff, the song debuted on the Billboard country charts last month, but was later removed after being deemed “insufficiently country”.
The decision has sparked a debate online over what constitutes country music. Some have suggested that the 19-year-old rapper was singled out because of his race, pointing out that pop crossover songs by white artists are routinely included on country charts, although this allegation has been denied by Billboard.
Fellow rapper Ski Mask the Slump God said the move was “discrimination at it’s [sic] finest”, while white country artist Meghan Linsey said the song was “as ‘country’ as anything on country radio’.”
The controversy around the track echoes a similar debate around Beyonce’s country-inspired song “Daddy Lessons”, which was deemed ineligible to be nominated for the country category at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Country artist Ray Cyrus, best known for his 1992 single “Achy Breaky Heart”, waded into the row earlier this week by tweeting in support of Lil Nas X. He wrote: “When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me: ‘Take this as a compliment’. Means you’re doing something great! Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club!”
On Friday Lil Nas X unexpectedly released a remix of “Old Town Road” featuring a rap verse from Cyrus, which could help the song return to the country charts. The remix is currently top of the US iTunes chart as well as the YouTube trending chart, with celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and Cyrus’ daughter Miley promoting it on social media.
In a statement issued last month, a Billboard spokesman said: “Upon further review, it was determined that ‘Old Town Road’ by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard’s country charts. When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition.
“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. Billboard’s decision to take the song off of the country chart had absolutely nothing to do with the race of the artist.”
Additional reporting by agencies
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