Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Reaches #1 on Apple Music Then Gets Removed

Author: Kailey Carty

Source of Photo: XXL

It looks like Country-Trap is set to be the next big sub-genre in Hip Hop.

On December 2, 2018, Atlanta- based artist Lil Nas X's released his now-famous country-trap song titled "Old Town Road", which recently hit #1 on the iTunes Country chart. There is some debate over whether or not the song can really be classified as country in genre, and some corporations have chosen to remove it from their country charts, namely Billboard Music. This is fair, considering Lil Nas X has never claimed "Old Town Road" to be a country song, nor to be a country artist himself. In fact, he frequently adapts different styles of music and applies them to his work. His ten-track collection on SoundCloud titled "Nasarati" employs an abundance of unique styles ranging from the "Get Flipped" dramatic and hollow pangs, to the digital backdrop of "Nasarati".

A major concern of those who believe "Old Town Road" does not belong in the country genre is the circumstances surrounding its virality. Many social media users have taken to using the song in the background of memes that poke fun at stereotypical rural/cowboy culture and some worry about what effect this will have on public interpretation of country music. However, these memes are not to be taken seriously as they are based on a radical stereotype and meant to elicit a reaction from viewers.

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A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Mar 22, 2019 at 11:25am PDT

Despite the controversy surrounding the song's genre placement, Lil Nas X appears to be doing well for himself as he was recently signed to Columbia Records, a label that houses many of the most well known and respected artists of all time, including Beyonce, AC/DC, Snoop Dog, and Prince. Whether or not he will take his place among them is yet to be seen, but his coming releases will certainly be ones to keep an eye on.