In Old Town Road, Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas Xâs debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. âOld Town Roadâ was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropesâitâs a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcends novelty, and a queer anthemâLil Nas X troubles the very idea of genre. Ultimately, Molanphy shows how âOld Town Roadâ channeled decades of Americana to point the way toward our cultural future.