SUN GOES DOWN (HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, POLITICAL CONTEXT)

Question 1

MENTAL HEALTH AWARNESS

Answer 1

Cultural stigma/ Black males- Lil Nas represents himself crying, praying, experiences of suicidal ideation– disrupting cultural stigma around mental health in black community/ offers new mode of expressive masculinuty.

LGBTQIA+ Mental Health- Trevor Project states that queer youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide compared to straight peers (bullying, isolation)

Digital Confessionalism- Emotional storytelling reflects wider trends in music industry towards autobiographical storytelling.

Question 2

Online Idenity & Fandom

Answer 2

Nas references his time as a Nicki Minaj Stan (BARB)- reflects how internet culture provide safe spaces for marginalised youth.

Question 3

Queer erasure in Hip Hop

Answer 3

Hip Hop industry has historically exluded or demonised queer idenities.

Lil Nas is one of the first openly black male artists to achieve mainstream success in rap industry.

Question 4

Political context- Pop activism

Answer 4

Artists like Lil Nas X, Beyoncé, Hozier, and Janelle Monáe are part of a wider movement of politically and socially conscious music.

Their work blurs the line between entertainment and activism, encouraging audiences to reflect, identify, and even act.

Question 5

Religion and Cultural Tensions

Answer 5

The video critiques and reflects how religion/ faith-based homophobia can be a major source of guilt for LGBTQIA youth.