The Commercial Commodification of Hip-Hop by Chris Payatagoo! From candy bars to fastfood to alcohol, the image of Hip-Hop has expanded into the corporate world of advertising and marketing. “Commercial Hip-Hop examines the look at the commercalization of the Hip-Hop culture, which originated to give the voiceless a means to express themselves.A Piecemeal Process [As Hip-Hop slowly morphs into the most popular visual cue for the mainstream, every clement associated with the music and culture has become a commodity, The culture is slowly being commodified where its individual elements are seen as profitable enttiesand marketed to ‘maximize return on investment. To better understand this phenomenon, we will analyze the manner in which Hip-Hop culture has been commodified for commercial consumption. Alo discussed is how this process of ‘commodification compromises the fundamental concepts and belies on which Hip-Hop culture was built “The commodification of Hip-Hop has not transpired overnight. The ascendance of Hip-Hop {from underground to corporate phenomenon, began in the mid-1960s, Sugar Hill Records was the frst label to succesfully record and market rap. The label released "Rapper's Delight” which Hip-Hop historian Tricia Rose asserts expoted the cukure to profit imperatives of the media and fashion industries, ‘Wich the success of groups like Pubic Enemy and Run DMC inthe mid and late 1980s, he ppotental reach of Hip-Hop seeped beyond city mis. In 1989, the launch of Soundscan,a system which tacks and counts music sales, officially confirmed rap music was no longer jst an urban Phenomenon. Sensing an opportunity for profit major meda corporation signed distribution ‘deals with small independent recording labels, who unt that point were exclusive distributors (of Hip-Hop music. In 1988, che music show'‘Yo! MTV Raps" debuted having an immediate and pronounced impact ‘on viewership. The program brought Hip-Hop to middle America, and with it, an expansive and diverse audience. Thus began the I5 year, mass media driven, process of overexposing society to selected aspects of Hip-Hop culture. A Chance for Upward Mobility Today any rap rcorng aries hate proven eager freg pls and cet for Gancal an. Noctnted to cling and carsales for cl phones rgrances econ and te ieor awe al ben subsided by HipHop Theinresng commodeton Hip Hop erodes th nave chur and ues coe ve spcems whch once domed he care nay eomieredby mana aged HipHop has remained hgh wble and fen free society Although pes fhe ekur ve been commodified HipHop cure debe forint remain =u lok hard enough, SBM Also Recommended BP nner AE Sette esate cor hte Evert ut the Boren Greg (e). art pe | me 8; Hip-Hop, Ghetlo-centricity and Mae Commodity Fetal ¥ by Peder Andotsor\ his esay the“Commodificaion of Hip-Hop” Krins argues... capitalism has repackaged one of the most negative draining aspects of sociegy. the ghettos of che 1970s, and turned therm Inco a libidinal, lucrative too! for marketing” (Qureshi2002). Through this commodification, the ghetto produces 2 new use value ofa safe, sanitized, portable image for pleasurable con- sumption by the masses Hip-Hop and Brand Names HipHop ars have become enrenchedin commercial nevorts of sponsorship and pode tc endorsement. Ths trend began wth Ran DMC ode t ter faerie footwear" ‘dias Dring 186 Maison Sure Garden concert Run commanded the aden to ware tr shoes figh the row of sweaty heads ured na pendulum of sweaty ds ‘Ac the urging of Hip-Hop mogul Russel Simmons, and unbeknownst to the rappers, spokes ‘men from Adidas were in the theater that night to witness the musics awesome marketing power. The group soon received a $1.5 millon endorsement contract (Parker, 2002), This ‘move opened the floodgates, further infusing material cukure with Hip-Hop. Nor ll endorsements have such calulated marketing beginnings. Over the summer of 2002, Busta Rhymes scored a huge hit with his rack"Pass the Courvosier” The song repeats the tide relessly, while the video features 2 host of top Hip-Hop icons toasting and enjoying the Aled Domecq product. Athough Busta claims he just wanted to make a song about his favorite drink Couvoisier acknowledges contacting Rhymes ater the song to “explore ways to work together” (Parker 2002). Nothing New ‘Achough this marrage of music and product is blaandy materials i is nothing new for ‘popular culture, Rock and rll has enjoyed an enduring relationship wth corporate America. “Tommy Hilger sponsored the Roling Stones; Kid Rock isa spokesperson for Coors Lite beer, and Dragonfly clothing sponsors akernatve rockers. The difference with Hip-Hop is ‘that Blacks’ marginalized positon on the fringes of society makes their mage and voice a ‘much more potent marketing tool. It combines the rebellous overtones of rock and roll ‘with Hip-Hop’ subversive racial codes. The Commodity Fetish and Hip-Hop ‘Another importane way in which Hip-Hop interacts with capicalism is known by Marxist theorists as the “commodity fetish” che process of mistaking an object for a social relation (Qureshi, 2002). In commodity fetishism, products are emptied of the meaning and content oftheir production and the labor of making them and imbibed with new, mystical proper- ‘ies and cultural codes different from the actual meanings (McLellan, 2000). Once Hip-Hop culture entered the mainstream jt gave advertisers another tool to sll ifesoes Ieems such as clothes and cars are gwen the mystical qualities of “ghetto authenticity” ‘through reification. Sturken and Cartwright post commodity fetishism ls an inevitable out. rte |g 5