The Brief: Yippee! The Old Town Road music video is here and it’s filled with memes, celebrity cameos, Maserati Sports Cars, and “old town roads” of both 1889 and 2019.

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DEEP DIVE

The Old Town Road music video, which has been labeled as a “movie” is five minutes and eight seconds of everything fans could have hoped for – and more. It has memes, line dancing, horses, a dance-off, time travel, and BINGO. This movie is an old western meets present-day rap video in a manifestation of the Yee Haw Agenda.

In addition to Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, the video is star-studded with cameos from a cowboy Chris Rock and a washboard-playing Diplo. The video also features Rico Nasty, Vince Staples, Ha Ha Davis, Jozzy, and the songs producer YoungKio.

The video starts in 1889 where Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus take their horses down the Old Town Road. After they ride till they can’t no more, they end-up time-traveling to 2019 where they upgrade their outfits and make new friends.

Old Town Road – both the song and the video – is a perfect example of how the influence of pop culture on memes is a two-way road. Old Town Road led to the creation of TikTok Yee Haw memes, which then contributed to the song’s success. Lil Nas X rode the burgeoning Yee Haw Agenda while also elevating its popularity. As Old Town Road continues to inspire memes, it also benefits from their virality.

Columbia Records / Lil Nas X

The movie has direct references to TikTok memes, including the one that played a significant role in Old Town Road’s rise to the top of the charts. When Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus enter a hall filled with seniors playing bingo, they’re seen drinking “yee yee juice,” a nod to the TikTok memes in which someone drinks “yee yee” or “yee haw” juice and then is transformed into a cowgirl/cowboy to the tune of Old Town Road.

Columbia Records / Lil Nas X

Later in the video, Lil Nas X takes a sip of Yee Yee Juice and does a The Woah, a dance move that has recently been popularized through TikTok videos. The music video leans into the meme angle of Old Town Road, inviting more memes to be made.

Even before its release, this movie inspired memes. Now that it’s here, people are sharing their praise, making memes, and probably planning the next viral TikTok trend…

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