Lil Nas X releases Old Town Road music video with Billy Ray Cyrus featuring appearances by Chris Rock, Diplo and more
Lil Nas X brought the wild, wild west to the 21st century in his new music video for hit song Old Town Road which was released on Friday.
Starring Billy Ray Cyrus and a plethora of other stars such as Chris Rock, Diplo and Vince Staples, the video shows the rapper showing off his horseback riding skills in a cowboy get up.
Billy Ray, 57, and Lil Nas X, 20, sing and square dance while performing their country, rap collaboration.
Work of art: Lil Nas X, 20, brought the wild, wild west to the 21st century in his new music video for hit song Old Town Road with Billy Ray Cyrus, 57, released on Friday
Too good: Billy Ray and Lil Nas X sing and square dance while performing their country, rap collaboration
The cinematic music video opens in circa 1889 with three including Chris Rock and Haha Davis chasing down the rapper and country artist on horseback through an open plain.
Lil Nas rides ahead of them with a stolen bag of money in his arms and Cyrus next to him.
Suddenly, the pursuers halt their chase, which causes Davis to ask why on earth they were giving up.
Robbery underway: The cinematic music video opens in circa 1889 with three including Chris Rock and Haha Davis chasing down the rapper and country artist on horseback through an open plain
Glorious: Rock replied saying, 'When you see a black man on a horse going that fast, you just gotta let him fly'
'Boss I’m flabbergasted why we stop,' he said.
Rock replied saying, 'When you see a black man on a horse going that fast, you just gotta let him fly.'
So fly he does and eventually, the Atlanta native and his older counterpart come across a wood cabin where they pause to rest.
Safe and sound? So fly he does and eventually, the Atlanta native and his older counterpart come across a wood cabin where they pause to rest
Gotta go: But within moments the homeowner and his daughter turn the corner and start shooting at them, causing Lil Nas to escape down a tunnel
Plot twist: The tunnel takes him to present day Old Tow Road 2019
Well hello there: Lil Nas X pops up in modern day America in a family's yard with a stunned little boy standing there flabbergasted
But within moments the homeowner and his daughter turn the corner and start shooting at them, causing Lil Nas to escape down a tunnel that takes him to present day Old Tow Road 2019.
He pops up in modern day America in a family's yard with a stunned little boy standing there flabbergasted.
Still on top of his horse, Lil Nas rides through the neighborhood with confused onlookers snapping his picture.
The video's producer, YoungKio also showed up in one clip.
Don't see that everyday: Still on top of his horse, Lil Nas rode through the neighborhood
Doesn't fit in: The rapper looked out of place in his olden day clothing on the horse
Lost: Confused onlookers snapping his picture and gaped at the rapper as he passed through
Guest appearance: The video's producer, YoungKio also showed up in one clip
Eventually he hops off the animal and starts performing some subtle dance moves, prompting a teen girl to break it down with some hip hop across from him.
The Don't Know Me artist then challenges a car to a race with his horse.
Vince Staples then gets out of the car and compliments Lil Nas on winning the battle as he hands over his cash prize.
Dance off: Eventually he hops off the animal and starts performing some subtle dance moves, prompting a teen girl to break it down with some hip hop across from him
Paying up: Vince Staples then gets out of the car and compliments Lil Nas on winning the battle as he hands over his cash prize
'Get the children off the animal please, that’s his property, I mean we don’t do that,' Staples said as he gestures to the hip hop dancer getting funky on top of the horse.
Nas eventually gets all dressed up in a black bedazzled cowboy suit, as does Billy Ray who rolls up in a red convertible wearing a purple cowboy suit with white tassels hanging from it along with a white cowboy hat.
The pair later burst into a bingo game and get on stage to start singing their tune, which causes everyone in the room to start two- stepping.
Switch up: Nas eventually gets all dressed up in a black bedazzled cowboy suit
Stylish: The outfit is complete with embroidery of his name across the back of the jacket
All done up: Billy Ray wears purple cowboy suit with white tassels hanging from it along with a white cowboy hat
Party time: The pair later burst into a bingo game and get on stage to start singing their tune, which causes everyone in the room to start two- stepping
Guest star: Diplo even appeared with them on stage, looking old school in a cowboy get up as he danced around
Diplo even appeared with them on stage, looking old school in a cowboy get up as he danced around.
This storytelling music video comes after a modern-day showdown - between artist and industry - over the song.
Previously, an issue broke out over the decision by Billboard to remove Lil Nas X's song from its charts.
The tune, which is a mix of hip-hop beats with country banjos and cowboy imagery, appeared on three Billboard charts before it was removed from the Hot Country Songs chart for not being country enough.
Genre bending: rapper Lil Nas X collaborated on a remix version of Old Town Road with country music star Billy Ray Cyrus
When word got out about Lil Nas X's removal from the country music chart, Cyrus tweeted out his support to the 19-year old rapper, also adding some words of wisdom passed on to him.
'Been watching everything going on with OTR [Old Town Road],' he began in the tweet from Wednesday.
'When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me “Take this as a compliment” means you’re doing something great! Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club!'
After that tweet, Lil Nas X reached out and collaborated with Cyrus on the track.
'I've never had a writing/recording session like this,' the 57-year old said in a video shot during the recording session that he posted on his Instagram story on Friday.
Turns out the country star had a special connection to the song title.
'I used to play as a kid in this town called Argillite, Kentucky and there was an old, covered bridge outside Argillite called Old Town,' he confessed while sitting in the studio with his guitar.
So far there's no official word on whether the remixed version will be eligible for inclusion in Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
Collaboration: The singer and rapper worked side-by-side on the remix
