Rapper Lil X is getting support for his song from country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. (CNN) — The Billboard charts may not think Lil Nas X’s rap song is country, but Billy Ray Cyrus has endorsed it and is part of its catchy remix. The country singer (and daddy of singer Miley Cyrus) tweeted a message of support to the Atlanta rapper, whose viral hit “Old Town Road” was removed from the Billboard country charts. “I’m gonna take my horse to the Old Town Road – I’m gonna ride till I can’t no more,” Cyrus crooned in the song widely shared by excited fans of both singers. “Baby’s gotta have a diamond ring and Fendi sports bras. Riding down Rodeo with my Maserati sports car.” For his part, Lil Nas X’s words summed up his Billboard experience. “Can’t nobody tell me nothing, you can’t tell me nothing,” he sings. “My life is a movie … Cowboy hat from Gucci.” Billboard disputed the song is country The song had originally become popular on the TikTok app, where users create and share video clips set to music. It quickly raced up the Apple Music and Spotify charts and debuted simultaneously on Billboard’s cross-genre Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. But last week Billboard pulled it from the country charts. “Upon further review, it was determined that ‘Old Town Road’ by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard’s country charts,” Billboard said in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine. Some accused Billboard of racism, given that the song is by a black artist. Billboard denied that race had anything to do with their decision. Lil Nas seemed to believe that, telling Time magazine his song is “country trap” and should be on both charts. “I believe whenever you’re trying something new, it’s always going to get some kind of bad reception. For example, when rap started, or when rock and roll began,” he told the publication. “But with country trap, I in no way want to take credit for that. I believe Young Thug would be one of the biggest pioneers in that.” Cyrus showed the song love last week, posting on Instagram, “”Don’t try and think inside the box. Don’t think outside the box. Think like there is no box.” #HorsesInTheBack”<doc-sep>After rapper Lil Nas X's track Old Town Road was pulled from Billboard's country chart last month, Billy Ray Cyrus has stepped in to lend his voice to the chorus of fans — literally. Not only has the veteran country singer joined the growing number of people decrying Billboard's decision, but Cyrus, made famous by the 1992 country-pop hit Achy Breaky Heart and line dance it sparked, has also joined Lil Nas X for a remix version. "It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time. I was thinking, what's not country about it?" Cyrus said in a tweet about the original song posted Friday. "It's honest, humble, and has an infectious hook and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need?" It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time. I was thinking, what’s not country about it? What’s the rudimentary element of a country and western song? Then I thought, it’s honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need? —@billyraycyrus The audio of the new remix track featuring Cyrus was posted Thursday and has become a top trending video on YouTube, garnering over 5.5 million views in a matter of days. Listen to the remix version of Lil Nas X's Old Town Road featuring Billy Ray Cyrus: Song doesn't 'merit inclusion' on country chart Old Town Road (I Got The Horses In The Back) debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the Hot Country Songs chart and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at the same time. It was at number 19 on the country chart when it was yanked. In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, which first reported the change, Billboard said "upon further review" the song "does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard's country charts." "When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition," the statement said. "While Old Town Road incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today's country music to chart in its current version." What do you think? Here's the original version of Old Town Road (I Got The Horses In The Back): Fusing genres, pushing boundaries Part of Lil Nas X's appeal — and one of the possible reasons for the decision — is his genre-bending, hybrid sound. The fusion of hip hop and country, referred to as country rap and more recently, as "country trap," isn't new. But it's still not common and the artist is pushing musical boundaries. In an interview with Time after the song's removal, Lil Nas X, 19, said he believes "whenever you're trying something new, it's always going to get some kind of bad reception." "The song is country trap," he told the magazine. "It's not one, it's not the other. It's both. It should be on both [charts]." Lil Nas X says his hit song belongs on myriad charts because it's not specific to one genre. (@lilnasx/Instagram) Many are pointing to other singers such as Taylor Swift and Bebe Rexha who have had few problems crossing over between pop and country. Billboard is just reflecting something that we've seen over decades, which is that genre lines are inherently based off of race." - Britney Spanos , Rolling Stone music writer At the same time, Beyoncé's country-driven track Daddy Lessons from her highly acclaimed 2016 album Lemonade couldn't make any headway in that genre at the Grammys, despite being nominated multiple times that year across rock, rap, pop and urban categories. "Country, in a lot of ways, whether people have noticed or not, it's become a signifier for whiteness to a lot of countries, to a lot of people," said Britney Spanos, a music and pop culture staff writer at Rolling Stone. "Billboard is just reflecting something that we've seen over decades, which is that genre lines are inherently based off of race." Rappers such as Ski Mask The Slump God and Joe Budden are backing that up, calling Billboard's move against Lil Nas X "discrimination." Wow , Discrimination At It’s Finest https://t.co/2E6TEUwhGm —@THESLUMPGOD THIS was my EXACT point... Y’all keep letting them tell you how to categorize what’s YOURS!!!! Lol smh https://t.co/gHD4zSLTWW —@JoeBudden Returning to country music's roots Despite ongoing criticism over the lack of diversity on the country music scene, American country music singer Jimmie Allen told CBC News last summer he doesn't fault the industry or the audience. "They've always been ready and willing to — especially the listeners — willing to embrace people of different ethnicities," the African-American musician told CBC's Deana Sumanac-Johnson. "It just takes a few artists first who aren't afraid to stand out and be different. "If you listen to the lyrics and the storytelling in country music, it comes from blues. Over time, it went a little western. For me, country music is just getting back to where it first came from. For everyone." Whether or not the new version of Old Town Road satisfies Billboard's often arbitrary guidelines for genre chart inclusion, its widespread popularity has another major star willing to join the collaboration. "Y'all call me when you're ready to shoot the video," Willd Wild West musician-actor Will Smith posted on Instagram Friday.<doc-sep>These days Billy Ray Cyrus is known more as “Miley’s dad”. It has been years since he had a mainstream hit on his hands but now a collaboration with Lil Nas X has sent him to the top of the charts and attracted an unlikely legion of fans along the way. Cyrus sent a tweet to Lil Nas X after Billboard decided that the rapper’s song, Old Town Road, was “not country enough” to be on its Hot Country chart. Billboard said the song “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version” despite its twanging banjo. The removal of the song sparked a fierce debate — white country artists like Florida Georgia Line use hip hop beats in their songs, why can’t a black artist embrace country beats? Cyrus was confused as well. “Been watching everything going on with OTR [Old Town Road],' he began in the tweet. “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!” Then Lil Nas X reached out and invited Cyrus to collaborate on the track. It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time. I was thinking, what’s not country about it? What’s the rudimentary element of a country and western song? Then I thought, it’s honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need? — Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) April 5, 2019 A few days passed and I went to the studio to do vocals.When I finished the pass, I whistled at the end of the song. Thats when the engineer stood up and said, “that shit is fire” We’re keeping that! Glad you gusys are diggin’ the tune, love seeing all your meme’s.... #OTR — Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) April 5, 2019 The track has been embraced by the hip hop community as well as the country crowd. It has also shot up to #1 on Spotify and iTunes. “I've never had a writing/recording session like this,” 57-year old Cyrus said in a video. “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 and there was the road that led to the covered bridge was Old Town Road. I heard this song and I go my gosh I just love what this is saying, plus I can relate to this.” The collaboration has had social media users cheering as well as celebrities like Cyrus’ daughter, Miley, and Will Smith. Me when I listen to Billy Ray Cyrus remix in old town road pic.twitter.com/ZzlFv3FZyv — ᛉ (@iYfcb_) April 6, 2019 1 million on YouTube bro!! pic.twitter.com/HsS0IzWDte — arianna salatka// lil nas (@ariannasalatka) April 5, 2019 How the Black Community went wild when we heard Billy Ray Cyrus on the Old Town Road Remix 🔥😂 pic.twitter.com/L024yDu2mv — BEAN™️ (@Brandon_Bean4) April 5, 2019 Billy Ray Cyrus is trending right now because of hip-hop. 2019 is legit pulling out all the stops 😳🤣 — XXL Magazine (@XXL) April 5, 2019 when billy ray cyrus once again finds himself at the epicenter of pop culture pic.twitter.com/qbxPuD15VI — Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 5, 2019 There's no official word on whether the remixed version will be eligible for inclusion in Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.<doc-sep>Billy Ray Cyrus has thrown his support behind Lil Nas X with a new remix of the country trap star's "Old Town Road." The song was controversially removed from Billboard's country songs chart last month after it was decided the track did not qualify under genre rules. ADVERTISEMENT However, Billy Ray Cyrus was among the many who disagreed with the sentiment. On April 3 he tweeted as Lil Nas X and said "Only outlaws are outlawed." . @LilNasX Been watching everything going on with OTR. 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! — Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) April 3, 2019 ADVERTISEMENT Speaking about the controversy, Lil Nas X recently said his song is "country trap. It’s not one, it’s not the other," and that it should be reflected in charts dedicated to both genres. Now a new version of "Old Town Road" featuring Cyrus has appeared on streaming services. The elder artist tackles the song's third verse, singing of "diamond rings and Fendi sports bras/ Ridin' down Rodeo in my Maserati sports car." Check the remix out above and read FADER writer Alex Robert Ross's explanation of how "Old Town Road" makes genre charts look silly here.<doc-sep>
Lil Nas X recruited Billy Ray Cyrus for a remix of his single "Old Town Road" after it was removed from Billboard's Hot Country chart Billy Ray Cyrus is defending his decision to join Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” After the rapper’s viral country-trap song was removed from Billboard’s Hot Country chart, Cyrus, 57, spoke out about whether or not the song should be classified as “country.” In a statement to Rolling Stone, Billboard said the track “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.” “It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time,” Cyrus wrote on Twitter Friday. “I was thinking, what’s not country about it? What’s the rudimentary element of a country and western song? Then I thought, it’s honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need?” After the 19-year-old rapper recruited Cyrus to make a remix, the revamped version went viral on the Internet. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv2zFKHF6zB/Lil Nas X/InstagramBilly Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X | Credit: Lil Nas X/Instagram In a follow-up tweet, Cyrus recalled how he recorded the remix with his own twist. “A few days passed and I went to the studio to do vocals,” he wrote. “When I finished the pass, I whistled at the end of the song. Thats when the engineer stood up and said, ‘that s— is fire.’ We’re keeping that! Glad you guys are diggin’ the tune, love seeing all your meme’s [sic].” billy-ray-cyrus-b Credit: Billy Ray Cyrus/Twitter billy-ray-cyrus Credit: Billy Ray Cyrus/Twitter Other country stars have also spoken out about the song. On Friday, John Rich stopped by the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Nation, where he said “the fans” should decide where the song belongs, using legendary singer Johnny Cash as an example. “Let the fans decide. I mean, country music — I go back to guys like Johnny Cash when he showed up in Nashville, they said that is not country music,” Rich said. “The guy made his records in Memphis where rock and roll was happening — he’s got his hair slicked back, he’s singing about sex, drugs and rock and roll.” “Johnny Cash, most hardcore lyrics anybody had ever heard — he’s not country — now Johnny Cash, a pillar of country music,” he said. RELATED VIDEO: Get to Know First-Time Academy of Country Music Awards Nominee Jordan Davis “I don’t like people that try to piggyback on real country music,” Rich continued. “So, I think if you really want to be a country artist, then be one — come to Nashville, write your music, really come up with something that’s fitting somewhere around country music.” The collaboration between Cyrus and Lil Nas X seemed destined to happen. Back in December, Lil Nas X shared a video of himself listening to “Old Town Road” and wrote, “Twitter please help me get billy ray cyrus on this.” On Wednesday, Cyrus tweeted at the rapper, “Been watching everything going on with OTR. 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!”