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Branding In Hip-Hop

*Warning : Explicit Content...Obviously though, right?

I have created this blog as a way to show the relationship between branding and hip-hop. Branding is more than just a name and logo. A brand has a culture and a background. They symbolize an idea. Rappers, using heavy metaphors, use brands as a way to creatively express their ideas and overall messages.

I've been obsessed with hip-hop since I was 6. Figured I would create something related to it while utilizing my media/advertising background. So enjoy the product placement!

*I do not own any of these images

Mos Def - Got

Like, come on now ock, what you expect?/ Got a month’s paycheck danglin’ off your neck/ And while you Cristal sippin’, they rubbin’ up they mittens/ With heat in mint condition to start the getti-gettin’

Ever meet someone who constantly brags about their possessions and achievements? Ever meet someone who has to show it off through status symbols such as expensive liquor and jewelry? Mos Def has, and he is not impressed. Mos Def sees these people drinking Cristal and wearing flashy chains (a month’s paycheck dangling off your neck) and warns them about the attention they are attracting. While many people will be impressed, there will be others that are plotting a robbery with their heat (slang for gun, hence the mittens reference). And just like that, the Cristal sipper gets “got”

Expensive brands are a must have for some people. However, be careful where you are flaunting your status. For a place like Brooklyn (Mos Def’s hometown), you may want to be careful when it comes to attracting the wrong kind of attention.

And either way, people don’t drink Cristal anymore!