Anyway, worth a read (and so is Jewly Hight's Twitter feed):
At the Pop Conference, NPR journalist Jewly Hight’s paper traced the history of the narrative that country music is the creation and property of whites only, from the earliest divisions between “hillbilly” and “race” records to the present-day example of Billboard axing Li Nas X from the country charts. She spoke to how country has struggled with this narrative and showed some of the engines of change that are pushing country toward more diverse artists. Part of that change comes from redefining the American West, and I’d argue that Red Dead Redemption 2 is key to that by virtue of its intensely immersive experience. Lil Nas X’s song clocks in at less than two minutes, but via the game you can live in a version of what Lil Nas X had in mind in a fully fleshed-out world for days and days. Watching “yeehaw challenges” on YouTube or TikTok, which involve people changing into crazy Western gear, makes me think of all the time I spent in Red Dead Redemption 2 changing Arthur into fancy new Western clothes, or fighting over a new cowboy hat I wanted for him.
Musically, Red Dead Redemption 2 breaks new ground by showcasing time-period-appropriate folk music being played by multiple artists of color. Known as “non-player characters” in video game lingo, these minor characters are sprinkled throughout the world. Walking the streets of the large city Saint Denis, you may hear a fiddle coming from a back alley, and heading behind a building you’ll see an African American woman fiddling while her neighbors dance. Riding by some row houses, you might find an African American man playing the banjo. When so few artists of color are present in American roots music today, embodying them frequently in a video game has a normalizing effect and doubles as historically accurate as well, since artists of color have always carried the lion’s share of the influence in early American music.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:08 (four years ago) link
plus a bunch of people who say things like "I don't listen to (c)rap" -- which is usually verbatim what they, say, post on facebook
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:12 (four years ago) link
why do you follow those people on facebook?
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:15 (four years ago) link
It can't be both?
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, May 17, 2019 1:04 PM (eleven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Alfred, a feedback loop implies both already
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:16 (four years ago) link
I don't, I'm googling site:facebook.com "old town road" news
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:17 (four years ago) link
I mean, some rap fans on social media think pop/EDM/R&B is anathema to the culture, but that didn't stop "Super Bass" from being a huge hit
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:18 (four years ago) link
sure, which is why I specified people who are outraged about old town road, who are obviously not in the majority, but exist
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:20 (four years ago) link
this debate is abt genre solely as marketing cliches rather than genre as a feedback loop between artist & audience (including marketing cliches). This is a v top down way of looking at popular music but I get it, the popular conversation is superificial and dumb
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Friday, 17 May 2019 18:32 (four years ago) link
the real unpopular opinion is that billy ray cyrus ruined the song
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Friday, 17 May 2019 19:05 (four years ago) link
The biggest country hit of the decade had Nelly on it.
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, May 17, 2019 10:30 AM (seven hours ago)
very bad revisionist history. the "cruise" remix w/ nelly didn't come out until three months after the song had already fallen off the country radio charts -- it was specifically released for the song's crossover to pop radio. florida georgia line were literally three singles deep on their first album on the country airwaves at the time that the remix was going big at top 40, and the version of "cruise" in recurrent rotation at country was not the nelly remix! (on a related note, some of the hot ac stations that also eventually put the song into heavy rotation opted for a version with the updated/remixed production, but not nelly's vocals. nice, huh?)
meanwhile the saving country music crowd was scowling the entire time the song remained atop billboard's hot country songs chart, which had had its methodology revised the previous year, on the strength of that remix. i guess if you really want you can count nelly performing at the cmt music awards with fgl (and being upstaged by taylor swift dancing in the audience) as evidence that a nelly song was beloved by the country audience.
― dyl, Saturday, 18 May 2019 02:09 (four years ago) link
Ah, i should have posted that, thanks for clarifying
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 18 May 2019 02:53 (four years ago) link
it's all in my head i think about it over and over again
― :∵·∴·∵: (crüt), Saturday, 18 May 2019 03:04 (four years ago) link
that is what I should have posted, yeah
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Saturday, 18 May 2019 03:49 (four years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/arts/music/country-music-opens-its-ears.html
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 18 May 2019 13:43 (four years ago) link
this seems like max saturation to mehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vWg5yJuWfs
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 30 May 2019 22:58 (four years ago) link
This is the best thing I have ever seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yvxqwlENxU
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Friday, 31 May 2019 00:36 (four years ago) link
4:15 if you wanna see a bunch of elementary school kids screaming about lean hahahahahaha
― Bitch, I Might Be Giants (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 31 May 2019 01:19 (four years ago) link
lil nas x is a truly great american
― be the 2 chainz you want 2 see in the world (m bison), Friday, 31 May 2019 01:49 (four years ago) link
that Lander Elementary video really is the best thing ever.
― stirmonster, Friday, 31 May 2019 02:28 (four years ago) link
btw if you didn't know this guy is an A+ twitter follow
the year is 2050, stuart little is president, the 10 year world war led by shrek & thanos has ended. old town road has reached its 1,615th week at number one and brother nature has stopped global warming. the world is at peace.— nope (@LilNasX) May 28, 2019
― frogbs, Friday, 31 May 2019 13:46 (four years ago) link
― be the 2 chainz you want 2 see in the world (m bison), Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:49 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― J. Sam, Friday, 31 May 2019 14:24 (four years ago) link
he's one of the best celebs hands down it's crazy lol
― J0rdan S., Friday, 31 May 2019 14:32 (four years ago) link
i like that him being funny & good at twitter is directly related to the organic social engineering of his song becoming a huge hit! he actually gets the internet in a real way that no marketing team could replicate
― J0rdan S., Friday, 31 May 2019 14:36 (four years ago) link
He also has that affability of a guy who won the lottery and knows it and is enjoying the ride.
When you can’t sleep so you write an emo-version of old town road pic.twitter.com/smds9fbXoD— Beach Bunny (@BeachBunnyMusic) May 30, 2019
― ... (Eazy), Friday, 31 May 2019 14:42 (four years ago) link
this song is starting to sell. i imagine it will be a goldmine for mememakers before long. (+ possibly another headache for billboard -- might as well just leave it off all the genre charts)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN8vY8qkgVs
the artist's other material (on his ep) is less gimmicky but not necessarily better. literally one song sounds like a poorly produced 'trapified' ryan tedder ballad from last decade. and uh his singing voice is not always pleasant. but the last track from the ep is pretty good/interesting!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i8C3uEJBvc
― dyl, Sunday, 9 June 2019 21:16 (four years ago) link
yeah, for better and worse, that sounds suspiciously like a well calculated hit
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Sunday, 9 June 2019 22:11 (four years ago) link
a most palpable hit!
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 9 June 2019 22:16 (four years ago) link
possibly poisoned with POPULISM!
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Sunday, 9 June 2019 22:39 (four years ago) link
that blanco brown song reminds me ofhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvTvEQjyDWw
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 9 June 2019 23:15 (four years ago) link
lol @ stupid youtube thumbnail graphics
it is the kinda song i would have enjoyed awkwardly trying to follow along to at a dance in the gym or cafeteria during the elementary school years
― dyl, Monday, 10 June 2019 00:30 (four years ago) link
The EP is not bad!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0Z0B8Xox0
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:00 (four years ago) link
At 2.39, that's the longest track on the EP, whole thing lasts 18 minutes with OTRx2 taking up about 5 minutes of that.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:01 (four years ago) link
The Cardi song rules. So "Panini," "Bring U Down," and "C7osure."
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:05 (four years ago) link
Cardi verse on this is gas
― boobie, Friday, 21 June 2019 19:30 (four years ago) link
The hook on 'Panini' sounds like to me like it was based on 'In Bloom'
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:41 (four years ago) link
nas x admitted as much, and kurt is a credited writer on the song with frances bean's approval
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:42 (four years ago) link
Oh cool, what a mensch
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:42 (four years ago) link
bring u down sounds hella grungy as well, 90's revival hanging out a lot longer than i expected
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 21 June 2019 19:54 (four years ago) link
Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre doesn't like it, wants to remind you that the true soundtrack of 2019 middle school dances is still Blueface:https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lil-nas-x-7-ep/
― You can't see it but I had an epiphany (Champiness), Friday, 21 June 2019 20:48 (four years ago) link
Carl Wilson takes an uncharacteristic swat at that review.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 June 2019 20:50 (four years ago) link
The EP is not bad!
counterpoint: the EP is bad
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:02 (four years ago) link
nas x admitted as much
nas x said he'd never heard Nirvana but he knew the album cover from t-shirts
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:10 (four years ago) link
an answer alone that guarantees I'll award the EP an A.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:11 (four years ago) link
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, June 21, 2019 4:10 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
panini interpolates parts of nirvana’s “in bloom”. special thank you to frances bean cobain for this!! 🖤— nope (@LilNasX) June 20, 2019
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:19 (four years ago) link
"People was like, 'Wow, he sampled Nirvana.' I was like, 'No.' It's like, I didn't realize I was using almost the exact same melody," Nas X told Beats 1's Zane Lowe in an interview on June 20.The rapper credits this coincidence for introducing him to the band's music. "The craziest things about 'Panini' is it introduced me to Nirvana's album Nevermind," he said. "It's like, I always seen the cover, but I never actually listened to it."
The rapper credits this coincidence for introducing him to the band's music. "The craziest things about 'Panini' is it introduced me to Nirvana's album Nevermind," he said. "It's like, I always seen the cover, but I never actually listened to it."
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:23 (four years ago) link
We are both right, settle down
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 21 June 2019 21:33 (four years ago) link
not understanding the hype for "panini", pretty forgettable track imo
― dyl, Saturday, 22 June 2019 01:47 (four years ago) link
don’t you be a meanie.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Saturday, 22 June 2019 06:05 (four years ago) link
some of this stuff isn't awful but he's a meme maker who happened to turn a meme into a hit song... i don't get the sense from this EP that he has much future in music per se, which is prob fine anyway
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 22 June 2019 15:11 (four years ago) link