Find a current commerical in which a hip-hop artist advertises a product. Discuss the video as it relates to the role of marketing and advertising in the artist’s career. Make sure you provide examples to argue the thesis that hip-hop artists have (or have not) blurred the line between music and merchandise.
Is hip-hop more open to identifying itself with brands? Is hip-hop more entrepreneurial than rock or pop? “…has black talk been used openly, knowingly, and not mockingly to sell products” (Savan 195)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIairaDBglI
This is a Fergie for Candie's ad. She incorporates her song "Glamourous" into an ad for shoes and clothing. In the ad, it shows a paparazzi snapping pictures of Fergie as she sings and dances around her house in Candie apparel and shoes. In the video, I particularly agree that the line between music and merchandising has been blurred. Example of this is the fact that she is singing one of her songs, while trying to promote merchandise. Fergie has taken advantage of her popularity and has promoted almost everything from Doritos to computers. I agree that hip-hop tends to be more entrepreneurial than rock and pop, especially since many hip-hop artists now have their own brands. This shows that “… black talk (has) been used openly, knowingly, and not mockingly to sell products” (Savan 195).
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I agree with you that in this case the line between music and merchandise has been blurred based on the fact that she is using her own song to promote Candie's instead of spicing up Candie's jingle. This is not always the case though. I do not agree that Hip Hop tends to be more entrepreneurial than other types of music. For example, Carrie Underwood was the face of Sketchers for a while.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that many hip-hop artists have their own merchandise. They have everything to clothing lines to even wine.
ReplyDeleteI don't consider Fergie a hip-hop artist. What makes her music hip-hop?? I put her in the same category as a Brittaney Spears.
ReplyDeleteI liked the quote you put in at the end, it went well with your section. Note that different types of music can promote certain things, hip-hop artist are not the only ones that promote merchandise just like Vanessa explained.
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