Hello again everyone. I hope this finds you well.

Lets talk about the #YeehawAgenda, or, also called #YeehawMovement #BlackYeehawAgenda etc.

Also, we are going to talk about Country Music and Square Dancing, and how they, together, can help end racism. #RoundTheOutside (Thread)

As a premise, the term "round the outside" began in Square Dancing, a type of dance originated in Europe, but, in the American versions, often four dance couples would be separated at four points of a square moving, with one couple in the middle. Hence, "round the outside."

Now, let me introduce you to a song from 1844, called "Buffalo Gals." This was written and performed by a white man named John Hodges, in blackface, and is a deeply racist part of pre-civil war American history, as it was intended to mock blacks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Gals

Fast forward near 140 years, to 1982, and another song called "Buffalo Gals" was released, this time an early Hip-Hop song by a white man, not in blackface, in fact, he was a major supporter of the hip-hop and punk rock movements, and was anti-racist. He was Malcolm McLaren.

Being the one-and-only Horridpoplyrics, Twitter's leading authority on lyrical poetry, let's break the lyrics down:

"Two Buffalo Gals go round the outside/
Round the outside/
Round the outside."

And this was clearly intentional on the part of McLaren. He took a fragment of America's racist past, and -shall we say- "alchemized" it into supporting a young hip-hop movement.

And thus, the #YeehawAgenda was born, though, most people called it "Square Dance Rap" at the time.

And this song was highly influential on the young, burgeoning, hip-hop scene in New York. Legends like Eric B & Rakim and the Beastie Boys cite it as an influence on their work, no joke.

Of course, when most people hear the lyrics "round the outside, round the outside" they think of one song by @Eminem:

"Two trailer park girls go round the outside/
Round the outside/
Round the outside"

And with good reason.

Of course, none of this is a coincidence nor accidental. Eminem was, at this time, fighting the legacy of Vanilla Ice and how badly he traumatized everyone with how awful he was. And Eminem intentionally invoked the legacy of McLaren in order to defend himself from attacks.

Nine years earlier, Aaron Neville, of the Neville Brothers, released a Country Album. And let me tell you, if you've never heard Aaron's voice, you are in for a treat, he's on of the greatest vocalists of the century. Angelic.

In fact, Black people were making real inroads into traditionally "white" music, including Country and Bluegrass at the time, and to this day. One of my favorites is Kaia Kater.

Meanwhile, "Square Dance Rap" began evolving into the #YeehawMovement, as black artists borrowed language and beats from Square Dance.

Here's the legendary Boots Reily, with the equally legendary Tom Morello, in the next tweet, we will go over the lyrics.

"Well, I gotta new kinda/
Square Dance Rap/
Gon talk smack/
Flash my gat/
...
(Chorus)
Two by two/
Promenade/
...
Circulate/
Dosey-do
How much cash/
Could a O.Z. grow/
...

(verse 2)
FBI comin/
Round the outside/
Which one a us/
Finna die tonight."

#RoundTheOutside

And this was far from the first song to fuse Square Dance Rap with progressive black agendas, I can assure you, though, Tom Morello makes it the finest example, clearly.

And I can assure you, none of this is coincidence, these people are intelligent, and know their history.

Yet the #YeehawAgenda despite being around for almost 40 years, is relegated to a mere fashion movement and memes by idiots in the press lately. Take this awful article from @ohheybrittany back about a year ago: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/welcome-to-the-yee-yee-club-bitch-805169/

And yet the #YeehawAgenda continues unabated. My point, ultimately, is that this is not really an agenda nor a movement. It is an invasion.

The kindest and most loving invasion, were blacks and whites invade one another's cultures, and attempt to actually communicate.

And that is what is needed to end racism.

I know, I know, Vanilla Ice was awful, but, Eminem and Beastie Boys make up for that, right? And then, we have a crown jewel in this movement, the team-up between two legends:

@LilNasX and @billyraycyrus :

To repeat myself: None of this is accidental nor coincidence.

This is a serious movement, and has been for four decades. And I am not even beginning to mention the contributions of Latino Vaqueros nor of people like Russ Cogdell, the greatest black hardcore guitarist of our time

As I intended to focus only on the intersections between traditionally "white" and "black" music.

My question to you is this: What is "culture" other than appropriation of the works of others? How do we distinguish between cultural appropriation, and just culture itself?

My answer is simple:

"Culture" must be actively assaulted, just as racism is, as in the examples above, and claimed for our own. As we are, in fact, one people, with one struggle. Nothing more.

In any event, I hope that this finds you well in these troubled times. I pray for the health and safety of your family.

Thank you for reading, my friends. And thank you for coming on this sonic journey with me.

-Ryan.