Lil Nas X And Billy Ray Cyrus Drop Video For ‘Old Town Road’ With Legendary Cameos

Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus dropped a video for their lauded collaboration on the remix to the song “Old Town Road.” The country-and-western-style video features dancing, horseback riding and surprise cameos from celebrities going along for the ride. 

The video begins with Lil Nas X, a 19-year-old Atlanta rapper, riding a horse while holding a bag of money as three men, also on horseback, intensely chase after him before suddenly coming to a stop. 

One of the men is then revealed to be Chris Rock, who makes a surprise guest appearance dressed up in cowboy uniform. 

“When you see a black man on a horse going that fast, you just got to let him fly,” Rock says in the video. 

Later in the video, Cyrus finds Lil Nas X and recommends they take shelter in an unfamiliar town. The Atlanta rapper turns to him and says: “Last time I was here they weren’t too welcoming to outsiders.”

Lil Nas X’s one-liner is likely a reference to his real-life experience in the country music world.

The 19-year-old’s song “Old Town Road,” which first released in December of last year, sparked wide conversations about racism and inclusivity after Billboard removed the viral chart-topping song from its country charts in March for apparently not being country enough. 

Many argued that the removal of the song, which Lil Nas X considers to be “country trap,” was rooted in a history of racism and discrimination in the world of country music. Billboard denied the decision had to do with race. 

Last month, veteran country star Billy Ray Cyrus publicly expressed his support for Lil Nas X on social media. The two later collaborated to create a remix to the song with Cyrus singing on the new track. The duo’s remix quickly garnered wide praise. 

The “Old Town Road (Remix)” video also featured appearances from music artists Haha Davis, Rico Nasty, Diplo, Jozzy, Young Kio and Vince Staples.

Lil Nas X celebrated Rock’s involvement on Twitter.

“I got a fucking legend in my video,” he wrote. “Blessed.”