Li'l Nas X

[Baboontyme 2883]

Ok I went back a couple of pages and didn't see a thread. This probably won't play well here because I imagine this thread is frequented by true music snobs, which I am not. 

I just want to talk about this guy a little bit and what he's doing, and what his future is. I find it extremely interesting. 

If you have heard it, you probably hate Old Town Road. I do not like it or dislike it. I find it mostly funny, and with a 3rd grader, I LOVE that the kids go apeshit over this song. All of the social media viral videos are spectacular. So I started reading a little bit about Mr. Nas X and the way that he marketed himself, and this song and hit the scene was fairly...brilliant. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-810844/

And of course this was before he teamed up with Billy Ray Cyrus and made the video, which is quite hilarious. And my kid goes bananas over as it is an intersection between the original Red Dead Redemption 2 video, hip hop, and real life. He's done this all in a very organized and smart way to maximize his exposure and build on it. 

And I listen to Hip Hop a little. I don't really like music but if I have a station on it's usually XM 43 or 44. And I heard that he was coming out with new songs and they were pretty smart, unique and catchy. And then I heard today one of the DJs say that he came out yesterday and I was a little taken aback. I guess I don't know enough about the guy or haven't seen him enough to suspect that might be the case, but now I'm very interested in how this will impact his popularity. And there's no way he would fake it, or be doing this as a stunt, right? I highly doubt it but the way he's been so ahead of the game on everything else to this point has me thinking there's a 2% chance. 

Who is the guy's core audience? I do not suspect that a teen/young adult urban audience is going to be super down with a gay rapper, 2019 or not. But what do I know, I'm an early 40s white guy. If his core audience is a bunch of 3rd graders like my kid, they could give a shit, and his popularity will probably continue to grow. And these new songs? I haven't heard them. But I'm thinking they better be mild enough to appeal to both audiences or he may have boxed himself into a corner. 

I'm just really intrigued by this whole thing. I may have some facts wrong. What are your thoughts other than you hate Old Town Road and hope it DIAF? 

[spystud13 2371]

I am 1000% not scared to say I dig OTR. 

[Baboontyme 2883]

I really am indifferent to the song itself. I dig that my kids (both of them) love it so much. It cracks me up. I will crank it for them. It was the same for Rockstar and God's Plan and those quite honestly are less pleasing on the Baboon ears than OTR. 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

It seems indistinguishable to other modern pop radio hip hop, IMO.  I don't really understand why it's controversial, other than getting some country radio air play.

Country radio hasn't played country music in years, so that hardly seems noteworthy.

At the end of the day, it's just another bad pop song that no one will remember in a decade.

[jimmyjazz 47149]

I just like that Billy Ray Cyrus was savvy enough to join in and cut vocals for the tune.  NOW it's country.  

LMAO -- good for both of them, and Gnashville sucks anyway.

[irishtexan 11712]

OTR is cool because Lil Nas X and Billy Ray are clearly just having fun with it. I don't think it's supposed to be serious. And it's got a damn good hook.

I'm interested to see how coming out will impact Lil Nas X's career/career arc.

[Baboontyme 2883]

3 hours ago, irishtexan said:

I'm interested to see how coming out will impact Lil Nas X's career/career arc.

I think this is mostly what I was trying to say in about 1000 less words.

[Celery Man 21095]

I started following him in Twitter before I knew the song (which is fun but, mostly just fun and catchy). I’m curious to see what he does, he seems to have a quality.

Gay? That wouldn’t have flown with a different generation during their hay day but that is past. Kids don’t care anymore, and neither do the veterans who still matter.

[jimmyjazz 47149]

I didn't even realize he was gay until I saw this thread.  Either I'm not tuned in to pop music news or my gaydar is broken.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

Not to CR this, but there are certain demographics, particularly ones that may enjoy hip hop, that are not that cool with being gay.  

Of course, that could diffuse along certain age lines too, rendering his orientation meaningless to his career arc.

[irishtexan 11712]

41 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Not to CR this, but there are certain demographics, particularly ones that may enjoy hip hop, that are not that cool with being gay.  

Of course, that could diffuse along certain age lines too, rendering his orientation meaningless to his career arc.

His audience isn't old black folks. It's young white kids from the suburbs.

[Loco 3754]

Can't unhear it

[Baboontyme 2883]

5 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

His audience isn't old black folks. It's young white kids from the suburbs.

Yeah and this is why I find the subject intriguing. No doubt true for Old Town Road, but what about his new stuff? I haven't heard it. But it is getting run on the Hip Hop stations and I've heard it's quite good. I think I even heard he's collaborating with some other Hip Hop mainstays. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out. 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

37 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

His audience isn't old black folks. It's young white kids from the suburbs.

Yeah, they don't give a fuck about orientation.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

33 minutes ago, Loco said:

Can't unhear it

Side note, but Nikki Glaser talks (at length) in any podcast appearance about how much she likes taking it in the ass, so I can't really concentrate on anything she actually says anymore.

[irishtexan 11712]

16 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Yeah and this is why I find the subject intriguing. No doubt true for Old Town Road, but what about his new stuff? I haven't heard it. But it is getting run on the Hip Hop stations and I've heard it's quite good. I think I even heard he's collaborating with some other Hip Hop mainstays. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out. 

Even for his new stuff, it's not gonna make a shit. While there are segments of the black community that have remained staunchly homophobic and hyper-masculine (which applies to all racial groups), he's not trying to sell that group records, even if he's getting play on hip hop stations. Hip hop, like "rock music" has dozens of different niche/sub-genres. Frank Ocean came out as bi-sexual in 2012 when he released Channel Orange and it hasn't seemed to negatively impact his career. In fact, he was embraced and encouraged by old-school rappers like Jay-Z for his courage. 

I would bet that coming out as gay is going to help his career significantly. Kids just don't really give a shit about someone being gay anymore. And it's the kids that are listening to, and buying (to some extent) his music and making him rich and famous. 

[Loco 3754]

3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

 (at length) 

I see what you did there

[jimmyjazz 47149]

3 hours ago, irishtexan said:

Kids just don't really give a shit about someone being gay anymore.

This is 100% consistent with my experience raising 4 kids, the youngest of whom will be a sophomore in HS.  None of them give a damn.  My son plays soccer with guys his age who are out -- the general consensus seems to be "as long as he can play . . . ".

[ztejas 44226]

Frank Ocean is gay. Kevin Abstract is gay. Most people think Tyler The Creator is gay and he's said close to as much. Hell, there are people that think Drake is gay.

He's not the first black artist to come out and won't be the last. 

[Gil Bang 26234]

8 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Side note, but Nikki Glaser talks (at length) in any podcast appearance about how much she likes taking it in the ass, so I can't really concentrate on anything she actually says anymore.

On Stern too. 

[Pancho 46298]

13 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Not to CR this, but there are certain demographics, particularly ones that may enjoy hip hop, that are not that cool with being gay.  

Of course, that could diffuse along certain age lines too, rendering his orientation meaningless to his career arc.

I really have no idea which demographic you're talking about here.  Old people in general (white, black, latinx, asian) don't listen to hip hop and millennial/gen x Black people don't give a shit.  Do you know how many DL black guys are in the rap/hip hop game today?  Lots of bi black female rappers too. 

 

I thought when he came out it would bother those in small rural America who are uneducated to begin with. 

 

I like the song.  I like the way he came out.  I won't ever download the song though, and I struggle with wondering if he's going to be a 1 hit wonder (and that was before the gay thing).  He has a 2nd song out now called Panini and it's aight....

[spystud13 2371]

I dig. 

 

[Gil Bang 26234]

1 hour ago, Pancho said:

I really have no idea which demographic you're talking about here.  Old people in general (white, black, latinx, asian) don't listen to hip hop and millennial/gen x Black people don't give a shit.  Do you know how many DL black guys are in the rap/hip hop game today?  Lots of bi black female rappers too. 

 

I thought when he came out it would bother those in small rural America who are uneducated to begin with. 

 

I like the song.  I like the way he came out.  I won't ever download the song though, and I struggle with wondering if he's going to be a 1 hit wonder (and that was before the gay thing).  He has a 2nd song out now called Panini and it's aight FABULOUS....

FIFY

Edited July 4, 2019 by Gil Bang

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

13 hours ago, Pancho said:

I really have no idea which demographic you're talking about here.  Old people in general (white, black, latinx, asian) don't listen to hip hop and millennial/gen x Black people don't give a shit.  Do you know how many DL black guys are in the rap/hip hop game today?  Lots of bi black female rappers too. 

 

I thought when he came out it would bother those in small rural America who are uneducated to begin with. 

 

I like the song.  I like the way he came out.  I won't ever download the song though, and I struggle with wondering if he's going to be a 1 hit wonder (and that was before the gay thing).  He has a 2nd song out now called Panini and it's aight....

I've read a lot lately that a certain presidential candidate has extremely low support in both black and Latino circles, and that (it's probably generational) it's in large part due to his sexual orientation.

But that said, as you pointed out no one under 35 or so gives a fuck, and 50 year olds aren't the people listening to Lil Nas X.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Al_4_ISU

[irishtexan 11712]

22 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I've read a lot lately that a certain presidential candidate has extremely low support in both black and Latino circles, and that (it's probably generational) it's in large part due to his sexual orientation.

But that said, as you pointed out no one under 35 or so gives a fuck, and 50 year olds aren't the people listening to Lil Nas X.

Among the "black" demographic, there is still a significant amount of homophobia. I'd guess that among black people under the age of 35, it's less so.

Also, you're equating "rapper success" with black people. It's white kids that are buying most of his records. You ever been to a hip hop concert? It ain't a bunch of old black people there. 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

2 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Among the "black" demographic, there is still a significant amount of homophobia. I'd guess that among black people under the age of 35, it's less so.

Also, you're equating "rapper success" with black people. It's white kids that are buying most of his records. You ever been to a hip hop concert? It ain't a bunch of old black people there. 

I've never been to a hip hop concert.

Once it was pointed out to me, and I thought about it for a second, I realized that old black guys aren't the demographic pushing the hip hop market.  Why did I think they were in the first place?  Mostly ignorance.  I've never been into hip hop and I live in one of the least ethnically diverse places in this country.

[irishtexan 11712]

[Celery Man 21095]

spent some time at the beach with my (white upper middle class 13 11 9 and 7 year old) nieces and nephews.  Played Catan and mentioned taking my horse to the old town road, they broke out in song.

[d2o 1603]

On 7/4/2019 at 11:32 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

I've read a lot lately that a certain presidential candidate has extremely low support in both black and Latino circles, and that (it's probably generational) it's in large part due to his sexual orientation.

But that said, as you pointed out no one under 35 or so gives a fuck, and 50 year olds aren't the people listening to Lil Nas X.

yeah, that isn't why minorities don't support Buttigieg

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/27/pete-buttigieg-police-shooting-south-bend-indiana

Edited July 8, 2019 by d2o