Ok. If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time (long or short), you’d know that I’m a Southern Girl at heart, and love my down south songs. I’ll turn up the Stanky Legg, Swag Surf with the best of them, and of course bump Soulja Boy throughout the course of any day.
I recently happened upon a song by Soulja Boy featuring Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo called Gucci Bandana:
Y’all. Not only is the chorus about a Gucci Bandana, but every other word is Gucci.There are shots of hundreds of little children doing a Gucci Bandana dance.
I haven’t spoken to anyone in the press office at Gucci, but I can only imagine what they would think of the originator of the Superman starting a new Gucci dance craze.
There was that somewhat well known story in 2006 where rappers mentioned Cristal champagne almost constantly until a Cristal rep said, “[W]hat can we do? We can’t forbid people from buying it. [But] I’m sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.” Jay-Z was so incensed by Cristal’s suggestion (that rappers take their business elsewhere), he boycotted, saying, “I view [those] comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life.”
Now Gucci hasn’t said a peep about this Soulja Boy video (if they even know it exists), but what do you think of rappers dropping designer names in songs?
Should rappers create their own lines to promote? Or continue to heavily line the pockets of designer houses?
Hmmm…very good topic. IDK about this one actually…as tired as I am about hearing rappers talk about their “Gucci this” and “Fendi that”, I don’t think that i also need to walk into my local Macy’s and see more wack rappers clothing lines (a la “apple bottom” or “roc-a-wear” or wuteva the uber wack line that master p has in walmart). Plus, I feel like it takes a real business acumen to create and manage a successful clothing line, an acumen that most rappers (especially soulja boi) just don’t possess.
That said, I think rappers nowadays need to be more creative with their music and lyrics and stop being so materialistic and only focusing on mentioning these high end fashion houses every other word. But then again, everyone can’t be Talib or Common…smh at the demise of REAL hip-hop…but i digress…
Oh, and I kinda mad you are JUST now hearing “Gucci Bandana”…shame…:)
I think they should stop giving free publicity for one. Especially for companies that have said they don’t want their brands mentioned. If anyone turns down free publicity, why continue to make them money? Now you’re not just paying them to wear it, you’re causing some of your listeners to go out and by it. After all that, there’s the chance that they sew you for using their name, and then they make more money off of you.
Talking about a band in passing is one thing, but whole songs just don’t make sense.
What’s so sad about people of color: we’re the only pple who will give, freely, let others take, freely, without any sort of qualm or thought about getting in return.
It’s a great way to be, but in order to stay competitive, we should be business minded.
Gucci didn’t have a person of color walk the runway since Tom Ford. They just recently put Chanel Iman on the runway.
Soulja Boy is a millionaire and could be contributing in so many ways. Why in the world would he offer free publicity to Gucci, who can’t even put one black girl in an advertisement or in their show?
It makes NO SENSE.
Personally, I would like to see these rappers veering away from these materialistic ideals all together. But if they are going to have whole songs dedicated to these brands, get PAID for it! The influence these rappers have is ridiculous. Rick Ross wore some “Louis Vuitton” shades on the cover of some magazine and everybody went out to search for them. Now had those been real LVs, that would have been a great endorsement. And I commend rappers like Jay-Z who take a stand when they are being blatantly disrespected and belittled. But it’s a sin and a shame that some of these rappers are too stupid to realize they are endorsing these brands for free when the brand could give two shits about them.
Interesting topic. Personally, I think it’s corny to shout out labels, designers, or even organizations that don’t support our community. We have created a multi-billion dollar industry (hip hop) that often promotes products that don’t contribute to our community. For me, it’s just not worth promoting products that don’t turn around and invest in us. Plus, these songs are often corny, focusing on using physical items to boost their low self esteem. Why are we doing this to ourselves, all while someone else benefits?
Everyone pretty much covered the issue pretty well. I will never promote any company that doesn’t acknowledge my existence. It’s a shame that rappers think that in order to feel important, they have to flash how much Gucci or Louis Vuitton they have. At least Kanye was smart enough to get in on the design team and make a sneaker line for the company. What’s even more ridiculous is these dumb rappers wearing all of that fake jewelry. Wealthy people that are smart invest their money so they can retire rich and vacation for the rest of their lives. Dumb rappers like Soulja Boy and Gucci man wear their money around their necks and wrist and are broke in 5-10 years if not sooner.
In my opinion, the only thing that is worst than these rappers advertising these companies that could care less about them is that they so proudly rant about these brands, when the population that supports them the most can hardly afford them… i view it almost like taunting. If u think about it these rappers often talk about how they CAN afford it while most of their supporters CANNOT… now thats crazy!
If only these artist spent more time working on their craft…making real music that we can dance to in the club. I also think that is so simple minded to be giving free advertisement to a company that makes more money in a week than will be made in the lifetime of these perfomers career. Although songs like these are catchy they are quite juvenile.
i see u clair. on ur down south music. onli think its that song is sooooo old. but yea. im from NC and we love gucci. i now live in VA and he sells out concerts. id like to think its because of that song and bricks! aye!
I’m going to say that I understand where Cristal and other so-called luxury brands are coming from. I know, I know, it’s got some racist undertones to it, but from a business stand point it just makes sense. Luxury brands, in spite of their quality, are able to charge so much money because of the rich, fun, EXCLUSIVE and glamorous lifestyle they represent. All money is green, true, but they wouldn’t be seen as such an exclusive brand if it became a lower class house brand. So, in the long run it makes sense to protect your image in this way.
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As for rappers and endorsements, I think some rappers are trying but for the most part luxury brands aren’t biting. These brands are already quite popular on their own already. Name dropping, while once in a blue moon can drive sells, is often too hit or miss to actually invest in an act. What few artists are paid to endorse, were already famous before the luxury brand decided to approach them.
**Besides, wouldn’t it hurt a rapper’s own image in the long run if people found out that they were paid to ‘name drop’?