{"id":10041,"date":"2019-05-24T08:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T12:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=10041"},"modified":"2019-05-22T11:16:01","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T15:16:01","slug":"how-a-tikitok-meme-became-the-number-1-song-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2019\/05\/24\/how-a-tikitok-meme-became-the-number-1-song-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"How a TikiTok Meme Became the Number 1 Song in America"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Courtesy of pixabay.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One thing that I\u2019ve realized during my time as a public relations and emerging media student is that social media is an incredibly powerful and driving force in modern culture. The most striking recent example of this is the rise of the recent number 1 song in America. Lil Nas X\u2019s Old Town Road<\/em>started as\u00a0a meme on Tiktok\u00a0<\/a>but now is crushing Drake\u2019s streaming records<\/a>, redefining what country music is\u00a0<\/a>and attracting attention from the likes of the Avengers\u00a0<\/a>and Tom Brady.\u00a0<\/a>Here\u2019s how Lil Nas X used viral marketing to amplify the hit song\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n

Hip-Hop or Country?<\/u><\/p>\n

When Lil Nas X\u2019s Old Town Road <\/em>first hit mainstream, there was a lot of discussion about what genre the song fit into. Its lyrics contain themes usually found in country music but the track featured an undeniably trap\/rap instrumental and some rapping by the artist himself. It was excluded from the Billboard country charts, which sparked concerns from some critics. This only helped propel the song further into mainstream, and Lil Nas X has since run with that popularity to launch the song to new heights. For those of you wondering, the song\u2019s remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was counted as a country song so for a time, Lil Nas X had both the top hip-hop and the top country songs on the Billboard charts.<\/p>\n

The Twitter Clout Machine<\/u><\/p>\n

An informal definition of \u201cclout\u201d refers to having fame or influence and Lil Nas X fully owned this idea for some time on his Twitter feed. According to a Genius.com interview, Lil Nas X said he is going to \u201cmilk the ****\u201d out of Old Town Road before he starts dropping new music. Well, he certainly has done that. For a full recap of what he has done over the past month and a half, you will have to catch up on his Twitter <\/a>and Instagram\u00a0<\/a>feeds for yourself. Below I will go over some notable highlights.<\/p>\n

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