![]() Lil Nas X attempts to embrace an edgier persona in “Kick It,” a smooth track complimented by brass and drums. ![]() While the musician’s vocals are akin to those of grunge rockers, the tracks showcase his adaptability and refusal to be confined to a single genre. Travis Baker of Blink-182 and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic produced “F9mily (You & Me)” and “Bring U Down,” respectively, thus demonstrating the industry’s recognition of Lil Nas X’s capacity for rock music and willingness to catapult him to higher levels of music production. While “Panini” doesn’t fill the role as a rock song, Lil Nas X exhibits his aptitude for rock in other songs throughout the EP. “Panini,” a short, bursting synth-pop track with more whistling than actual singing, is not only catchy thanks to its rhymes, but has received a similar amount of attention as “Old Town Road.” “Panini” toes the line of alternative pop and rock, but feels as if it’s an oversaturated version of a Juice WRLD or Travis Scott song, but with the added drum-kick thrown in, it’s impossible not to tap your foot along to the song. The track features a verse by Cardi B, a departure from the style of “Old Town Road.” The song features resonating guitar riffs that one would expect from a Western cowboy movie and is almost “country-trap” enough to be comparable to “Old Town Road,” but lands further on the rap side of the country-trap spectrum that Lil Nas X explores. We continue to experience the “yee-yee juice” flow with “Rodeo,” on which Lil Nas X cements his excellence in country-trap. All are short, but allow Lil Nas X to flex his talents as a musician with a wide range of depth. As the title suggests, the EP has seven songs including the “Old Town Road” Billy Ray Cyrus remix. “7” amounts to more than just a scramble to rid Lil Nas X of his one-hit-wonder status - it serves up an entreé with “Old Town Road” as the appetizer. ![]() All the fanfare of his lead single aside, would Lil Nas X be able to keep up the momentum of popularity he maintained with “Old Town Road"? It’s meme-worthy and perfect for a generation consumed by internet culture and meme pages. Short enough for ever-dwindling attention spans, “Old Town Road”’s quirky lyrics make it memorable and easily quotable. While Lil Nas X made the track with a $30 beat and a Nine Inch Nails-generated banjo riff instrumental, it still feels organic - a natural party pleaser. “Old Town Road” rode on the coattails of the yeehaw agenda, while blending two disparate genres. If Lil Nas X’s success was surprising, the revival of Billy Ray Cyrus’ relevancy was even more so. This led to the holy recreation of the song including country icon Billy Ray Cyrus. Defined as “country-trap,” it graduated from a TikTok meme to topping the national Billboard charts, but was subsequently removed in March for not being “country” enough. “Old Town Road,” with its contagious beat and southern twang, tore down conventional ideas of what country music sounds - and looks - like. Known for his chart-topping single “Old Town Road,” and its subsequent remixes, such as a remix featuring BTS called “Seoul Town Road,” Lil Nas X claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Top 100 for 19 straight weeks - becoming the longest leading billboard number one hit ever - with his country-rap track, beating out veteran number one chart-toppers including Taylor Swift, Drake, and Ed Sheeran. An EP exceeding expectations, on “7,” Lil Nas X manages to explore a diverse range of genres, defining himself as more than just a one-hit-wonder, but as a rising star who is redefining the parameters of country music. Grab your saddle and giddy up for Lil Nas X’s debut EP. ![]()
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