Jon, you have chronicled the rich history of country rap from Bubba Sparxx to Nelly all the way to Lil Nas X, but 'The Git Up' is atrocious
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I like Old Town a lot. I also like “The Git Up” : it surely beats this humorless browbeating of a fresh voice for no worthy musical or political reason, and you can dance to it!
One detail in this article has been bugging me. Tennessee Whiskey (which Brown sings in the included video) is not a Chris Stapleton song. It's a classic tune, written in 1981 by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, and popularized first by David Allan Coe and then George Jones.
Otherwise the article was very entertaining although it doesn't really clarify how "they" (whoever they are) decide what is country and what isn't.
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Any lover of country music can tell within seconds that The Git Up is country, and Old Town Road is not. You can add a little banjo and a fake twang to any song you like, but you can't fake the unpretentious dumb fun of a country dance night.
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Smart. Fun. Musical. Good-hearted.
I like it!
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Congrats Mr Brown. The Git Up is a good song as is Old Town Road, although I think OTR is a better song. What makes TGU acceptable to Nashville? There is a white person in the video. Lil Nas X didn't catch on until a while later, I guess he thought music was music and people just like what is good. It has a good beat and you can dance to it, anyone? Clearly Nashville has a different view.
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In another, he suffers the rhythmlessness of the longtime radio and TV personality Storme Warren, who currently hosts a morning show on Sirius XM.
Thought they were both enjoying it. Strorme did much better than I could. Fortunately whenever I get up the nerve to do much of anything people seem to appreciate and enjoy the effort. And if they laugh it feels much more with me than at me
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Fun song.
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Terrific analysis. Country music has always had a bit of an inferiority complex. With “Old Town Road” they thought they were being made fun of. In “The Git Up” it’s more Blanko Brown making fun of himself and that’s just fine apparently.
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When Old Town Road was kicked off the country charts, I was ready to be irritated along with everyone else until I heard it. It might be that my limited exposure to country music is to blame, but I'm not sure what about Old Town Road is supposed to make OTR a country song any more than the sample being used in Oochie Wally makes it a prog rock song. If anything, the latter comes closer to crossing into another genre on the basis of how present and persistent that sample is as a song element vs others in the beat, whereas the element of the beat that threatens to verge into outside territory is so vague that it could as easily be a rock song as it could be a country song. It could be almost anything, really. If lyrics defined a genre I might be more receptive to the idea of OTR being a country tune, but I've yet to encounter that precedent. I'm open to arguments.
I saw arguments that suggested that other country stars of the moment are not especially traditional in their sound either, and went and checked out several of the examples given. It was pretty trashy pop music, but even if my assessment of them still possessing some qualities that resemble country music is off, wouldn't the problem be more that Billboard is labeling every dude in boots and a cowboy hats as country, as opposed to them declining to give a dude rapping about being in a cowboy hat the label of country?
Anyway, it's neat that this crossover has achieved such success. More casual pop for everyone.
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"If “Old Town Road” was a provocation, politically and aesthetically, then “The Git Up” feels like a step backward. Its acceptance is a victory for excluding those who push hard against old tropes as much as for those who seek a toothless path to inclusion."
A drive-by country fan responding here, and I took the time to check out the "Old Town Road" video too. I always enjoy country songs that tell a story I can follow and experience with an emotional connection, though not necessarily identification.
I appreciated the visual artistry in "Old Town Road" as well as its message. On the other hand, "The Git Up" is a money-shot for local saloons with live performers and jukeboxes and senior centers awaiting the next iteration of line-dancing.
My question: why isn't there room for both artists on the charts? Is chart presence yet another example of identity politics driven decision-making? #Sad.
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I think the critic is way overthinking this. It's a fun little song, a fun dance to go with it, it's summertime, and people need a diversion. What else is there to say?
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