Branding In Hip-Hop
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!
A$AP Rocky - Goldie
Cristal go by the cases, wait hold up that was racist/ I would prefer the Aces, ain’t no different when you taste it/ A 40 ounce to chase it, that’s just an understatement
Frederic Rouzaud, Louis Roederer managing director, publicly decried the relationship between hip-hop music and Cristal. Considering rappers were one major factor in the huge sales and popularity of the champagne, it was definitely a huge insult and blow when he stated this. Maybe he isn’t a racist, but it is hard ot really understand why they wouldn’t want the hip-hop relationship to continue. Even if you don’t like rap music, you still want business right? Anyways, A$ap Rocky mentions that he drinks Cristal but does prefer the Ace of Spades, made popular by Jay-Z, a strong critic of Rouzaud and his comments. A$ap admits that it has nothing to do with the taste, but rather the “racist” comments made by Rouzaud as the reason he purchases Aces. So there is one sale lost because of comments made 6 years ago. However, regardless of what he buys, the classic 40 oz. will always be at hand to chase down any beverage. Classy A$ap.
Maybe Rouzaud may not think anything of it, but his comments in 2006 were classic PR mishaps. DON’T criticize a huge market base just because you don’t agree with their music or culture or whatever (unless it is seriously out of touch with your image, which in this case it wasn’t). Have some cultural understanding and appreciation of your different customers and be open to many different markets you can attract. Otherwise, you will lose customers like Jay-Z and A$ap Rocky, as well as the fans that listen and idolize them.
