My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends

April 4, 2003 3:30 PM

American Brandstand tracks mentions of consumer brands in songs in the Billboard Hot 100. It's interesting to see which products get mentioned the most; Mercedes is currently on top with 29 mentions so far in 2003. (This week, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Li'l Kim all give props to the Benz.) Burberry and Puma round out the top three. Question: is this typically admiration of the product, projecting an image, or product placement? (Via Slate.)
posted by Vidiot (21 comments total)

None of the above. It's about vacuous pop stars having nothing to rap/sing about other than consumerism.

Or else, it's the zeitgeist: we are our brands, our brands are us.

I think I'm going to go listen to my old Minor Threat records now... color me depressed.
posted by psmealey at 3:37 PM on April 4, 2003

ahhh...

but for more innocent times
posted by victors at 3:48 PM on April 4, 2003

Witness the Cadillac Escalade.

Someone tell R. Kelly that the Lincoln Navigator is soooooo 1998.

Nothing sells like mindless commodified celebrity excess.
posted by mark13 at 4:00 PM on April 4, 2003

I was watching Jeopardy last night (insert I have a TV but rarely watch broadcast TV elitist 'tude meme here) and an entire category was devoted to wireless technologies, the questions were about specific features of specific models of cell phones made by specific manufacturers. Cut to a commercial for 10-10-220 where ALF and some Z-list washup are in a classroom environment teaching the kids all about the wonders of 10-10-220 and I realized: I can no longer yell at the TV something to the tune of "It's good to know how to use a telephone, but WHO THE FUCK WAS GALILEO? DO YOU KNOW YOUR PERIODIC TABLE? DO YOU KIDS KNOW? DO YOU? NO? GO WATCH JEOPARDY."

[/rant]
posted by WolfDaddy at 4:16 PM on April 4, 2003

It has nothing to do with product placement.

It has everything to do with projecting an image of wealth and success.
posted by SweetJesus at 4:27 PM on April 4, 2003

I like the link... But their net catches things that are outside the scope of the project.

15 - 50 Cent - If I ain't rap 'cause I flipped burgers at Burger King / Would you be ashamed to tell your friends you feelin' me? (in this case, contrasting Burger King with glamour).

17 - Fabolous -if she catch me with an empty Magnum wrapper (this is more "bragging about having sex, and a large penis... something that's been done, well, forever)

(some things are a bit more innocuous than they're being portrayed)
posted by cadastral at 4:33 PM on April 4, 2003

It has nothing to do with product placement.

I suggest you discuss this thing with a Corporate PR person. they'll give you interesting data and anecdotes about product placement + celebrities

personally, I just _love_ how classic brands of 100%-stiff-upper-lip-British-style like Bentley and Burberry have become a prominent fetish of more or less thuggish/tacky/tasteless rappers
posted by matteo at 4:35 PM on April 4, 2003

They used to cut out brands very judiciously on the radio and MTV. I remember listening to Digital Underground's 'Humpty Dance', hearing the lyrics:

"I once got busy in a [CENSORED] bathroom"

I long assumed that the word that orginal phrase must have been "Mother-F'ing Bathroom" or something similar. But no... Mr. Humpty once got busy in a Burger King bathroom.

Not that this was product placement, but brand dropping of any sort was not okay back in the day.
posted by 4easypayments at 4:39 PM on April 4, 2003

good call, 4easypayments... I remember that!

I had always assumed that it wasn't an ethical stand, at all.. and that it had more to do with fear of backlash from Burger King (in this case).

Let's not forget that Hip-Hop was still taboo at the time... and most advertisers wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Now they're falling all over themselves to imitate it (to hilarious results, more often than not).
posted by cadastral at 4:44 PM on April 4, 2003

I like to pretend that the brand-rappers are actually talking about popping bottles of Crystal.
posted by eddydamascene at 4:45 PM on April 4, 2003

I seem to recall that the BBC had strict rules about brand names and the Kinks complied by changing the lyrics to "Lola." I don't know what the case is today...
posted by victors at 4:46 PM on April 4, 2003

i think that it's possible that product placement is involved, but not definite. the likelihood is great, simply because of the disturbingly small number of corporations that own 95% of all television channels (including cable) (six). it would come as no surprise to me whatsoever to learn that sony has some deal with mercedes to further the image of mercedes as a "thug" car. especially since corporate hip hop is currently so popular with upper/middle class youth. how do you make a rich old man car appeal to a younger demographic? you come up with a better idea.
posted by magikeye at 4:48 PM on April 4, 2003

how do you make a rich old man car appeal to a younger demographic?

Make it affordable?
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:38 PM on April 4, 2003

It's sad that so many celebrities define their self-worth and/or personality by their possessions...
posted by drstrangelove at 7:54 PM on April 4, 2003

heck, I think it's sad that so many people in general do. It's even sadder when people buy stuff because celebrities told them to.
posted by Vidiot at 8:20 PM on April 4, 2003

if it were affordable it would lose its grip on the rich, old, not-retired-because-technically-lawyers-don't-retire market.
even if they developed a less expensive model it would cheapen the mercedes name. this preserves the name because the old guys who always bought the cars are all like "damn thugs (or worse)."
posted by magikeye at 9:11 PM on April 4, 2003

there's a mercedes commercial on right now that has snippets of songs that include mercedes in them -- a small snippet of janis joplin's 'mercedes benz' to pebbles 'do you wanna ride in my mercedes boy?' it's a great ad.

i doubt that lexus will be coming to missy elliott any time soon though.
posted by birdherder at 9:51 PM on April 4, 2003

I suggest you discuss this thing with a Corporate PR person. they'll give you interesting data and anecdotes about product placement + celebrities

Do you know any Corporate PR people? I don't. Is this just your conjecture, or do you have any facts?

personally, I just _love_ how classic brands of 100%-stiff-upper-lip-British-style like Bentley and Burberry have become a prominent fetish of more or less thuggish/tacky/tasteless rappers

Bentley's are some of the most expensive cars in the world. Burberry is very expensive cologne. Corporate hip-hop is just a dick swinging contest about things that cost a lot of money. No one is taking money for the most part. Jay-Z does have his own vodka though.
posted by SweetJesus at 10:38 PM on April 4, 2003

The "product placement" links above are interesting.

(And I know a corporate PR person, but she works in a hospital. I haven't heard Busta Rhymes singing about "the fresh cardiologist" anytime soon.)
posted by Vidiot at 10:59 PM on April 4, 2003

I'm certain that to an extent there is some serious product placement going on here. However, in the world of hip-hop, I really do believe it has more to do with the images of wealth, power, and sex than anything else. I was watching the new Lil'Kim video yesterday and was laughing my ass off at how people could be glamorizing and emphasizing wealth and sex to such an extent, and yet at the same time destroying those images and degrading them into the gutter.

But then again, I'm completely unimpressed by most peoples' wealth and power.
posted by tgrundke at 8:17 AM on April 5, 2003

And I know a corporate PR person, but she works in a hospital. I haven't heard Busta Rhymes singing about "the fresh cardiologist" anytime soon.

Dr. Octagon?
posted by eddydamascene at 11:28 PM on April 7, 2003