- "...Billy Ray Cyrus on the Old Town Road remix."
My life! - The two worlds collided,
and they created a beautiful baby.
♪ (industrial intro) ♪
- ♪ Yeah, I'm gonna... ♪ - (sings along) ♪ Take my horse
to the old town road ♪ ♪ I'm gonna ride
till I can't no more ♪ ♪ I'm gonna-- ♪
Ooh, and this is the remix. Very exciting!
- (laughs) Oh my god. The best country song ever.
- I've just been seeing this all over Twitter.
I've been seeing all the memes nonstop.
- It sounds good. I know it's a meme,
but this is a great song.
- ♪ I'm gonna ride till I can't no more ♪
- ♪ I got the horses in the back ♪ - Ay.
- ♪ Horse tack is attached ♪ ♪ Hat is matte black ♪
♪ Got the boots that's black to match ♪
- I hate this song so much.
It's so annoyingly good to me.
- ♪ Riding on a tractor ♪ ♪ Lean all in my bladder ♪
- (sings along) ♪ Cheated on my baby ♪ - ♪ You can go and ask her ♪
- I love country, and I love the mix of both--
the two worlds collided, and they created a beautiful baby.
- Do you consider this country? Yes, but no. I'm like, I don't know.
- ♪ Hat down, cross town, livin' like a rock star ♪
- Go ahead, Billy! - See, this is the added lyrics.
Okay. Okay, Billy. - This is dope,
but it's just so funny hearing an older white dude rapping.
- ♪ ...got a habit, diamond rings, and Fendi sports bras ♪
♪ Ridin' down Rodeo in my... ♪ - (sings along) ♪ Maserati
sports car ♪ - ♪ I'm like a Marlboro man,
so I kick on back ♪ ♪ Wish I could roll... ♪
- It's Billy Ray low-key dropping bars.
- ♪ I wanna ride... ♪ - It's so catchy.
I just wanna sing it. - ♪ ...take my horse
to the old town road ♪ ♪ I'm gonna... ♪
- (sings along) ♪ Ride till I can't no more ♪
(chuckles) It's a good song.
- I love the sound.
It's like country went gang-gang. (laughs)
- (FBE) So, this was a remix of a song, "Old Town Road,"
created by Atlanta rapper, singer, and song-writer Lil Nas X
that featured country star Billy Ray Cyrus.
- What a collaboration that none of us saw coming.
- (FBE) So, do you know anything about this whole trend
around the "Old Town Road" song? - I've seen the whole
"Old Town Road" thing all over Twitter.
- People use it in certain memes. The song itself is very
meme-type music. It easily lends itself
to any sort of meme dance or meme format.
- It was really meme worthy, 'cause it's totally different.
It's got a great hook. And then I hear they pull it
from the country chart.
That's some [bleep] right there, Billboard.
- (FBE) So, we'll get into the history in a moment
and show you a lot more, but let's look at some
of the reactions to this Billy Ray remix
after it came out. - Ooh.
- Ha! (chuckles) "Okay, but Billy Ray Cyrus
ate that damn remix." - "Wow, that was so powerful."
Yay! (claps) I love that we're there.
- It's always so funny when people use clips from React
or anything from FBE. - I love this Elders React
video/photo/gif that always makes it in memes now.
It's so perfect. (chuckles) - I didn't cry,
but I was like... I felt it.
- It's cool to kind of see that someone so high up
in the industry is so willing to be able to just work
with someone that's new. - What he did was powerful,
but you know, it's a song.
- "Me: Man, I hate country music. Also me listening to Billy Ray Cyrus
on the Old Town Road remix." My life!
- Yes, this is true. - That was honestly me.
I hate country music. - That's me, 100%.
- He's just having the time of his life.
- ♪ ...Rodeo with my Maserati sports car ♪
- That song goes hard. You don't wanna like it,
because it's country, but it's good.
- "Y'all call me when you're ready to shoot the video"-- oh my gosh!
WOW! - Ayy, Will Smith!
- Love that everything, he's always the first to hop on it.
I don't know if he's in charge of his social media,
but whoever is, they're on it.
- ♪ ...can't no more ♪ - ♪ I got the... ♪
- Yess! - The internet is freakin' weird, bro.
- Oh, this would be everything! We need a little Django Unchained
tied in here. I feel like that would be the ultimate.
- (FBE) So, this remix is a continuation of an internet journey
for this song. So, jumping back to how most
have said this original song began trending,
Lil Nas X allowed TikTok users to freely use his song within the app.
And it quickly inspired these two different challenges
that have gone by several different names,
including Yeehaw Challenge or Yee Yee Juice.
- I definitely have seen the Yeehaw Challenge,
but I've been so confused about it, and now I'm kind of like...
the puzzle pieces of Twitter are coming together.
- ♪ I'm gonna ride till I can't no more ♪
♪ I got the horses in the back ♪
- (laughs) He changed clothes. Oh, he love it.
Oh, uh! Uh!
- Oh my god! This is so corny!
Why does he look like he's in some girl's dorm room?
- Listen, I can't even be mad, 'cause he hit that.
- it's something that everyone could participate in too,
'cause everyone got a flannel.
- ♪ Take my horse to the... ♪ - Get it, girl. What you got?
- Oh, girl. We're matching. I love it.
- ♪ I got the horses in the back ♪
♪ Horse tack is attached ♪ - Oh! That was cool. That was cool.
- She looked cute and outfits are on point,
but the dancing was horrible. - Oh, this girl,
I've always seen her on TikTok. - Okay, I like this one.
- See, I'm just so impressed by TikTok users in general,
'cause I'm like, "I can't do it."
- It's making people switch, you know, from what they're doing now
and getting that cowboy hat. Ayy! Let's try that.
I think I might get me one.
- Oh, ride that horse. You little cutie!
Ohh my god! - Yeah, get your kid on TikTok.
Aww! Okay, that's cute.
- I want a son right now. Right the [bleep] now.
- We always are gonna find something to do.
We need a break sometimes from reality.
- Ahh, the yeehaw juice. - ♪ Ride till I can't no more ♪
♪ I got the horses in the back ♪
- Oh my god! He's in a big green tractor!
- ♪ Horse tack is attached ♪ - They doin' the most.
They are doing the most.
- There's something just so fun about it.
The chorus is catchy. And it's silly,
because hip-hop country isn't something that we see often.
- ♪ Ride till I can't no more ♪ - (chuckles) "Yee-yee juice."
(laughs) Kitty!
- Not the cat! No!
- ♪ Ride till I can't no more ♪ - Cowboy hat, cowboy hat, cowboy hat!
Yeah! (chuckles)
- ♪ I got the horses in the... ♪ - Awww!
I have a little mini pink cowboy hat for my puppy. I'm doing that.
I'm replicating that.
- Come on, mom. Drink that yee yee juice.
Wee. Oh, [bleep]!
(laughs) That was a good one.
- Get it. Ohh! - Wait, she evolving?
- (chuckles) "angelmattsmom."
- Oh my god! Yeah!
- Got the whole family involved.
- That's probably my favorite. (laughs) Get it, gir--
(wheezing laughter) That was my favorite so far.
- They did good. I saw she had a Nashville shirt on,
so maybe... they a little southern.
I like it. - It's really funny
when older people, adults, parents and stuff,
try to be young and stuff, 'cause it's really funny.
And it makes for good comedy.
♪ ("Old Town Road" violin cover) ♪
- "Yee Juice but with a violin."
- This is a different version of the song-- oh, "but with a violin."
- She better hit it. Oh my damn!
- Ooh. She's elevating that [bleep]. - We got violin covers already?
Sick. - Oh, showcase that talent, bitch!
- That was awesome. See, she has talent.
- People are doing their own little twists on it,
and that's what I like to see. - (FBE) Okay, you've seen
the challenge videos, and you know the remix.
So finally, here is the original song and video
for "Old Town Road." And then, we'll get
into all the controversy behind its success.
- All right. I swear to god, if I don't see a horse,
I'm gonna be real mad. - ♪ I'm gonna take my horse
to the old town road ♪ ♪ I'm gonna ride... ♪
- I'm very confused. - ♪ I got the horses in the back ♪
♪ Horse tack is attached ♪ - This is all digital or animation.
This is nice. - Red Dead 2!
That's what he used for the video? - They did the music video
for Red Dead Redemption? (chuckles)
- ♪ I've been in the valley ♪ ♪ You ain't been up
off that porch now ♪ - Oh my god.
These graphics are insane. - Graphics are so good nowadays.
This is insane.
- Eh, it's fun. It's cool.
It's like... there's something about the whole cowboy thing
that's just so popular right now.
- ♪ Take my horse to the old town road ♪
- Now, they should do Party in the USA,
but with GTA V. There are so many different ways
you could take video games and music now.
- That was very interesting. I like the remix WAY more!
- (FBE) Now anybody who likes Red Dead Redemption
but hasn't heard his music or his song, now boom.
That's a whole new fan base. Well done, Lil Nas.
- Now, there's this formula where people are intentionally
kind of making fun meme music, and because it's made to be meme-y,
people are throwing it into memes, and it just works.
- (FBE) So, that was the original single that was released
in 2018 by Lil Nas X, in part from things
like using footage from the game Red Dead Redemption 2.
- That's so weird, but I guess I get it.
I'm guessing he didn't have much of a budget,
so they kind of worked with what they got,
and this is a creative way to do it.
- (FBE) And because of the momentum of the challenges and the memes
that it spawned, this song ended up going viral.
And with how the charting data is now compiled,
that can include digital streams. So, this song actually
debuted on the Billboard charts, and it was number 19.
- Wow! That's really good.
- (FBE) But it was on the country music charts.
- Screw the Billboard. That's number one in the world.
- This is 10,000% a country song. I don't know how you would say
it's a rap song over a country song.
- (FBE) So, this caused a lot of controversy,
because people felt that it wasn't truly a country song
and wasn't truly a hit either, because it was more of a trend online.
So, what's your opinion on that?
- I mean, isn't something a hit if it's a trend?
That feels so contradictory to me.
- There's no traditional way for music to be spawned anymore.
That's out the window. So, if Billboard is strictly speaking
with radio airplay, that's decades old at this point.
If everyone's sharing it, and everyone's listening to it,
it's hot. - I don't really think
it's a country song, but it also kind of does that thing
where it bridges, like, okay, you know, you get
your hip-hop/rap type of stuff. Who's to say that it can't be country?
If he put it in there, and he said, "Oh,
I classify this as a country song," then if that's what you call it,
then I'll just have to accept it as country.
- It is a country song, because country itself
as a genre also has many subgenres.
Why can't we use hip-hop and then kind of meld it in
with country? - Who are the people
that are judging it? Because if you look
at the challenges, a lot of people loved it.
So, I mean, who can say definitively what it is country music?
- (FBE) So, after the controversy about this, Billboard actually
removed "Old Town Road" from the country charts,
saying that it didn't embrace enough elements
of today's country music to chart
in its current version. - Lies.
- (FBE) So, do you agree with that? - No, I don't.
Country needs to come on. Let's get with the times. (snaps)
Let's go. - I think it's a very
close-minded thing to say. As time goes on, things evolve
even down to music and how it sounds.
- That was probably a solid group of maybe five people
that came to that conclusion, and they all just...
you know, they probably specialize in country music
or the generic country music. It's good to overstep the boundaries
a little bit, and he killed it.
- If a new wave of interest or a new way of direction
that it goes, it upsets people.
And people are afraid. (gasps) "Oh my gosh.
What's gonna happen?" And I think that's sad,
and it immediately needs to be rectified.
- (FBE) So, after it was removed is when in response
some say that this collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus happened.
- Champion. He's the man for that.
- (FBE) And regardless of what genre you think
the song belongs to, on April 6, 2019
on the heels of Billy Ray Cyrus's response
to the original "Old Town Road," it reached the number one spot
on all of Billboard on the Billboard Hot 100,
meaning it was ranked the most popular in sales,
radio play, and online streaming. - Exactly. Okay?
So, that's how you use your white privilege
to up the level of other people and shenanigans.
- They had it on the country charts before the remix.
It was obviously created by a black man.
And then it took a white singer to jump in for them
to be like, "Okay, it's country now." I think that that's kind of fishy.
- (FBE) So, do you think that people actually like
this song and are playing it? Or do you think a lot of people
are trolling to try and get it to be popular,
since it was originally taken off?
- I think it started off as a joke, but then I think
the more it got played, the more people kind of got into it.
- It's definitely a 50/50. People are gonna do it
just 'cause it's like, "Oh, we can take this
and make different variations of it."
But then other people are like, "No, this song actually slaps."
- It's a mixture of both people trolling
and people that actually enjoy the song,
because, you know, I like the memes,
but I also recognize that this song is fire.
- I like the song, so I'm gonna go ahead
and guess that people genuinely do like the song.
It's something different. It's something that we haven't
really heard before, which is hard.
- (FBE) So finally, do you think that this will
have lasting power and will be considered the number one hit of 2019?
Or do you think it will be looked at more as a meme
and a trend online rather than a hit song?
- If he didn't have Billy Ray Cyrus on the song, it would definitely
just be a meme. But the fact that he got Billy Cyrus on there
is just gonna cement it as an actual song.
- I wanna say that it'll stay up there,
and it'll be a genuine good song of 2019.
But it's kind of like the thing with, you know, Drake's song,
the Kiki. It comes and it goes.
- It'll be a song that we remember and we enjoy.
And maybe three months from now, we'll all be at a club
and someone will throw the song on and be like, "Whoa, dude!
This is Old Town Road!" - It's gonna be a number one hit,
'cause he wrote that song. It's not just some repetitive words.
I mean, he tells a story. So, I think it's something respectable.
- I don't know, actually. We'll see, you know what I mean?
This is the first time that it's going in this direction,
so we'll see. And honestly, whether it does
or it doesn't really doesn't matter.
We're gonna be on to the next thing and so forth and so on.
- Thanks for watching this episode of Adults React.
And shoutout to Patty Wagner and Nelson Marquez.
- Subscribe and hit the bell, so you don't miss an episode.
- Have you taken your horse down the old town road?
Let us know in the comments. - Hey, everyone.
Lauren, producer here at FBE. Thank you so much for watching
this episode of Adults React. Did you know we have awesome T-shirts
and hoodies? Go to shopfbe.com for the latest designs
and help support the channel. Bye, everyone!