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Branding and Hip Hop Culture - Product Placement in Music Audio Data

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School of Business and Management
A330A0500
Strategic Brand Management
Peter Spier

Branding and Hip Hop Culture:

Product Placement in Musical Audio Data
Extended Essay Assignment
18th May 2016

Aljoša Jankov 0457355

Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1

2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND BASIC PREMISES .......................................... 2

2.1 Business concepts ................................................................................................. 2

2.2 Socio-economic theories ........................................................................................ 4

2.3 Attributes of Hip Hop Culture .................................................................................. 4

3 MACRO ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH PHENOMENON ........................................ 6

4 MICRO ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH PHENOMENON ......................................... 8

4.1 Types of Influences on Brand Images .................................................................... 8

4.1.1 Cases of Positive Influence ............................................................................. 8

4.1.2 Cases of Negative Influence ............................................................................ 9

4.1.3 Cases of Controversial or hard-to-determine Influence ................................. 10

4.2 Detail Analysis of Influence on Ralph Lauren and McDonald’s ............................ 12

5 CASES OF CLASHES BETWEEN COMPANIES ....................................................... 14

AND ARTISTS ............................................................................................................... 14

5.1 Personal Branding as the integrated part of Hip Hop: the case of Rick Ross ....... 15

6 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................ 17

REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 20

Appendix 1. The evaluation of the influence of Product Placement in Hip Hop audio
data on the brand image of Ralph Lauren .............................................................. 25

Appendix 2. The evaluation of the influence of Product Placement in Hip Hop audio
data on the brand image of McDonald’s ................................................................. 26

0
1 INTRODUCTION
The way how people consume music has been constantly shaped by technological
trends. Internet streaming services are gradually replacing the traditional radio
broadcast channels, and this change leaves no place for advertisement in between
songs for most of the users. (Station Resource Group 2010) If companies aim to
continue the promotion via audio data as a tool of Integrated Marketing Communications
(IMC), they will most likely have to rely on other methods, one of them being the product
placement in music. The ‘embedded marketing’ in movies and music videos is a very
common subject, however the product placement in music as solely the audio data
seem to be a research field that don’t receive enough attention.

Mainstream Hip hop music is known for lyrics that include mentioning brand names in
pursuit of status transfer that the artists gain by brand association. While certain brands
do hold endorsement contracts with some artists, most of the artists promote various
brands for free, which is a very interesting phenomenon. The referred goods are mostly
the high-end fashion clothing, and car products, but some wealthy service providers,
food chains and luxurious geographical regions also get their advertisement. This
figures as a potential leverage material for the companies that operate in a b2c market
segment, but hardly for b2b, like the regular product placement.

The purpose of this research is to investigate this phenomenon from the point of view of
companies, artists and the consumers, in an attempt to determine effects on each party,
in the terms of brand images they hold. The potential connections for developing the
feasible business relationships between them will also be examined.

The idolaters of Neo-liberalism believe that the poor population looks up to and follows
the ways of wealthy ones. This theory could explain why Hip Hop artists gain such a
popularity among people whose purchasing power doesn’t allow them to use the
merchandise embedded in the song lyrics. It could also explain why this music induces
in the fans wants, or at least awareness of the mentioned products. Since ‘rapping’ as a
form of artistic expression is more similar to talking than singing, brand name-dropping
within lyrical stories could even be observed as a strong Word of Mouth (WOM)
Marketing, and social proof stands as the most credible way of recommendation. When

1
compared to other musical genres, the greatest quantity of words per song and its
braggadocio tone in the majority of songs is what makes hip hop unique. Those
attributes are also the main reasons why hip hop listeners more than any other need to
buy into the personal brand of the artist and his brand story, in order to prefer him
among other artists. Since the beginnings in 1980s, the common brand character of a
rapper went through a lot of drastic changes, but some elements remained the same till
present. According to Spotify’s data analysis of 20 billion streamed tracks in 2015, Hip
Hop music is the World’s most listened to genre. (Independent 2015) For better or
worse, the brand value trade-off between companies and the artists continues
unceasingly, with Hip Hop positioned in the center of Pop Culture, and its influence on
youth stronger than ever.

2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND BASIC

PREMISES
This chapter will introduce the reader with some business concepts, socio-economic
theories and attributes of hip hop culture, followed by implications on which the research
is built upon. Understanding this basis is necessary for the full comprehension of the
empirical part of the research. If a company wants to enhance, control or just protect
their brand image from the way how it is presented through Hip Hop lyrics, it first must
get the idea what Hip Hop Culture represents today, and how does their brand fit into
brand stories of the artists who mention it – the Rappers.

2.1 Business concepts

Brand represents an image of a company that consumers have in their mind first when
they think about the company, its products or anything related. Brand image is created
by the company’s design, logo, symbol or any form of communication. Employees,
customers themselves and every company’s associate are the agents of brand. Brand
also represents something that differentiates the company, gives it credibility, and can
be used to help consumers as a shortcut in a purchasing decision-making process.
(Businessdictionary 2016)

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Branding can be simply interpreted as efforts made to control the brand image. “The
Onion Model” for mapping the brand value suggests that brands are consisted out of
layers, resembling the structure of onion. One variation of the model puts brand’s
cultural meaning as the surface layer, then its community meaning, and finally the
individual meaning for each consumer as a core value. (Millwardbrown 2012) Product
Placement or “Embedded Marketing” is an advertising technique that subtly promotes
the company’s products, by integrating them in movies, TV shows, or other media.
(Businessdictionary 2016) The brand name-dropping in Hip Hop music fits the
subtleness requirement from this definition when the brand names are spoken through
slang words. However, mentioning the exact brand names without inviting listeners to
buy the product also differs from direct selling, even though it’s not so subtle.

Marketing Communication mix is a combination of tools such as advertising, sales,

promotion, direct and digital marketing, public relations and personal selling. Each
company should find a mix that creates a clear, compelling and consistent brand
messages. (Armstrong & Kotler 2015, 396-397) Streaming services usually play ads
only to non-premium users, which is why product placement in audio data can become
more significant subject. Music influence on the consumer appeals on the cognitive,
emotional and behavioral basis, with regards to his attitude and perception and current
emotional state. It has been proven that consumers spend more in the retail markets if
happy, positive songs are played, especially the ones they already know and like.
(Zeeshan & Obaid 2011, 56, 61) Slow-tempo music is also found to make consumers
spend more, and stay longer in the store. (Pham 2014, 12) Since the research subject
isn’t focused on retail and sales, but rather selling and shaping the brand images, these
factors might differ. However, if a song fits the description it will be taken that it has a
positive effect on consumer’s perception of the utilized brands, since it creates a
receptive atmosphere and is most likely increasing brand awareness. Alignment of
overall emotion that the song carries with the mission statement of a brand company will
also be taken into consideration. A clear match would mean that the risk of damaging
the brand is minimal, other factors aside. In his handbook for salesman, Bellfort
describes the Tone of voice as a key factor of persuasion that if used right, can act as a
psychological shortcut for bypassing consumers’ “limiting buying beliefs”, which are
negative buying experiences from the past and irrational fears that prevent them from
3
purchasing. He states that the tone has to be enthusiastic and authoritative. He also
teaches tonality techniques such as finishing sentences with louder words, on a higher
note; using whispering in order to imply scarcity and demonstrate a “bottled enthusiasm”
over product, and strategic use of pauses in sentences. He points that in an absence of
physical presence, tone of voice is 91%, where only 9% comes from words. (Bellfort
2010, 49, 52, 69) Moreover, the most credible book on body language states how only
7% of communication is verbal, 38% vocal (which includes tone of voice) and 55% non-
verbal (body language and facial expressions). (A. Pease & B. Pease 2006, 27) By
thinking about promoting brands through solely the audio data, some similarities with
telemarketing are to be found, hence the presented techniques and distribution of
communication were used as guidance for evaluating the influence on brand images.

2.2 Socio-economic theories

The insinuation is an act of planting a seed of an idea into somebody’s mind, in a way
that affects his subconsciousness and makes him develop the idea as it was his own. It
is a very effective technique of manipulation, because consumers are generally resistant
to the ideas of others, and prone to realize their own. (Coursehero 2016)

Globalization is the tendency of business to spread outside of the home country, to

other markets around the globe, and in that way increase integration of different
markets, international trade and cultural exchange. (Investopedia 2016a) Globalization
is an enabling factor for occurrence of the research phenomenon, because it drives
growth of both the Hip Hop culture, and big name companies. In relation, Capitalism,
Materialism and Hedonism are the main values promoted by the rappers. They make a
platform for competing in terms of possession and enjoying the most status
commodities, and also secure good response from the audience by simply existing in
their everyday lives. Promoting spending means indirectly increasing one nation’s GDP.
In contradiction, Scarcity principle states that a value of a good grows as its supply
decreases, and it is also often integrated into business models based on Hip Hop and
the lyrics itself. (Investopedia 2016b)

2.3 Attributes of Hip Hop Culture

Hip Hop culture traditionally represents an art form consisted out of 4 core elements:
Break Dancing, Rapping, Graffiti writing and DJ-ing. However, lifestyle promoted along
4
with those activities also includes fashion, street language (slang), street knowledge and
entrepreneurial spirit. (Thetika 2016) In general, Hip Hop is a synonym for a creative and
rebellious getaway for each individual that breeds with the energy of youth. The culture
originates from the end of 1970s, but its musical component, refered as “hip hop music”
or simply rap, didn’t took off until the 1980s. The 1990s are considered as a “golden era”
of Hip Hop by the musical critics and the artists. (Rollingstone 2014) In that decade both
culture and music reached a sort of maturity and started entering the pop culture, and
engaging more and more Brand names into lyrics. What differentiates hip hop music
from other genres is its nature of constant changing and diversity – even different
geographical areas are divided by their own styles. Hip Hop doesn’t have a strict sound,
but is always evolving. In result, its overall mainstream sound transforms every 3 to 4
years. Instrumentals can be originally composed, or they use samples of other musical
genres, such as rock, jazz, rhythm and blues, and even classical music, movie
soundtracks, electronic or older pop music. Virtually, every sound can be utilized into a
hip hop beat, and this type of flexibility enabled the music to stay fresh and thrive,
among other genres. What gives this music identity are the unwritten fundaments of
rapping, forming the lyrics, and artists that pay homage to the roots of culture through
music. Competitive spirit is also one of the main characteristics of Hip Hop.
(HipHopDX 2014) Rappers used to participate in battles, to build a reputation by
representing their rapping skills and rhyming out each other, often by mocking the
opponent. As the evolution of genre progressed, competing in rhyming was
supplemented, if not completely replaced by competing in possessing financial and real
assets. This boastful attribute is why Hip Hop is often considered a rude culture, and it’s
in contradiction to its knowledge element. Other reasons are excessive use of curse
words and promotion of drugs. Hip hop lyrics include specific type of humor, delivered
through wittiness of punchlines and wordplays, similar to stand-up comedy. Moreover,
lyrics are to a large degree consisted of slang words. A listener can be under the
influence that he is hearing an entire different language. Slang words can appear as
metaphors by having some logical meaning. For example, the word “Sneakers” is often
replaced by “Kicks”. They can also be like sort of a nicknames for the original words,
e.g. “McDonald’s” = “Mickey D’s”, “BMW = Beamer”. Hip Hop theorists believe that this
trend started because in the early times, a lot of rappers where drug dealers (or at least

5
that is the brand story they want to portray), and were using coded words to disguise the
dialogues about criminal activities. Globalization and the expansion of internet played a
big role in Hip Hop’s expansion, because they enabled people from all over the world to
look up for the meaning of words and understand the language of hip hop in its entirety.
The coded language adds another dimension to the listener’s experience, because it
engages him in active thinking and in that way respects the knowledge element of the
culture. Deciphering slang words from Hip Hop lyrics might trick listeners by insinuating
that the encoded meaning represents their wants, especially if a brand name is coded.
Deciphering can also be observed through the scarcity principle, because getting the
meaning first would give a special value to the listener, especially before the internet
era. The feeling itself is often referred as “hidden gem” , and one of the most influential
hip hop groups, the Wu-Tang Clan, used it to create the world’s most expensive music
album, “Once upon a time in Shaolin”. The album was reportedly created in just one
copy, and the artists themselves didn’t hear the completed version. It was packed in a
special silver box, placed in a safe somewhere in Marrakech, Morocco, and guarded by
one of the group’s affiliates. (Forbes, 2014) It was sold to Martin Shkreli in 2015 for
$2,000,000; with a contract that it cannot be shared or publically played until 99 years
passes. Since a majority of hip hop artists grew up from poverty, the music became a
manifestation and celebration of a success story. Branding theory suggests that brands
can appeal to either reality or dreams of the consumers, and Hip Hop blends both
approaches through its always manifesting “Rags to Riches” culture story, which is a
reflection of the “American dream”. The writer of a critically acclaimed book on hip hop
business models, Dan Charnas, thinks that the growth of culture lead to the selection of
Barack Obama as a president of US in 2008. (Youtube, 2010)

3 MACRO ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH

PHENOMENON
Genius.com is the internet’s biggest database of Hip Hop lyrics. It offers a statistical
feature, through which it can be examined how frequently a particular word was used in
almost the entire known hip hop music, per every year since 1988 till present. (Genius
2016a) As a result, popularity of brands among the hip hop community can be measured
6
by comparing frequency of brand name mentions. E.g. it can be seen how the top 8
designer clothing brands are: Gucci, Versace, Fendi, Prada, Channel, Dior and Louis
Vuitton.

Figure 1. Frequency of high-end fashion clothing brands mentioning in hip hop lyrics
(Genius 2016b)

It shows how the popularity of Gucci has peaked in 2008, and how Versace has risen in
2011. But is this a reliable indicator of a brand's popularity outside of the Hip Hop
community? By taking a look at the frequency of mentioning fast food restaurants, which
are not considered brands that stand for status commodities, it can be seen that
McDonald’s are the most popular by far. Its slang term “Mickey D’s” was also entered,
even though it promotes McDonalds indirectly, but can cause a greater effect on a
listener.

Figure 2. Frequency of fast food restaurant brands mentioning in hip hop lyrics (Genius
2016b)
7
While there is no explanation for the peak in 1992, McDonald’s is one of the rare
companies that achieved growth in 2009, during the period of economic recession. They
offered cheap, fast food when consumers were pressured with money and time the
most. (David 2010, 27, 36) This correlation can either mean that rappers follow trends
very carefully, or that they are the ones who create the trends and are very influential. In
reality, both statements are true to a certain degree; hence the Hip Hop Music can
increase the growth of awareness of a brand name, or call attention to it in the first
place.

4 MICRO ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH

PHENOMENON
This chapter will analyze how placing brand names or their slang code names into lyrics
does affect the brand image that a company is trying to portray.

4.1 Types of Influences on Brand Images

The Mission statement of a company is the closest idea that can be gotten of the brand
image that they try to portray. By analyzing the meaning behind the context where the
Brand name is input and optionally comparing it with the mission statement, the
Influence will be categorized as “positive”, “negative” or “controversial or hard-to-
determine”.

4.1.1 Cases of Positive Influence

“However, living better now, Coogi sweater now

Drop top BM's, I'm the man, girlfriend”

– The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa, 1994 (Genius 2016c)

The way how “better” and “sweater” rhyme within the line, with the word “now” at the
both ends, makes the phrase “living better” sound as a synonym for “Coogi Sweater”.
Coogi is an Australian clothing brand famous for multi-colored sweaters. It transferred a
status to Biggie (B.I.G.), but also differentiated his clothing style from other artists. The

8
song “Big Poppa” is one of the greatest hits of the entire Hip Hop music, and B.I.G.
made this brand popular among the hip hop community and America in general. He was
tragically killed in 1997, and rappers glorify this brand in his honor to this day. Moreover,
in the second line, a BMW with a convertible roof was mentioned as “drop top BM”. The
extension: “I’m the man, girlfriend” refers to showcasing success – which is in line with
BMW’s current mission statement. An overall emotion that the song carries is coolness
and the use of slang for BMW adds bonus points for its potential to intrigue. Both of
these brand mentions seem to have a strong positive influence on the brand images.

“Riding to the music, this is how we do it all night, all night

Breezing down the freeway just me and my baby, in our ride

Just me and my boss, no worries at all

Listening to the Aston Martin Music”

– Rick Ross ft. Chrisette Michele & Drake – Aston Martin Music, 2010 (Genius 2016d)

This chorus sang by a lady, goes multiple times throughout the song presenting the
Aston Martin as a dream of freedom. Rick Ross (“the boss”) represents every masculine
quality, where Drake acts as a more feminine, dandy type, and the instrumental carries
the emotion of nostalgia. In the music video, Rick Ross is shown as a child who looks up
to a rapper from the era of ‘80s who drives an Aston Martin, and grows up to earn his
own, against all odds. This song, and especially the video seems like it was designed to
appeal to everybody, whether they already have or dream about Aston Martin,
regardless of gender. Hence, it’s a strong positive influence.

4.1.2 Cases of Negative Influence

“Vroom, vroom, yeah I know my car sound like a T-Rex

Bi***, I'm 23 years old and I ain't riding in a Prius”

– Big Sean ft. Meek Mill – Burn, 2012 (Genius 2016e)

In this song the artist Big Sean is boasting about how in his young age, he already has
an unspecified car with a strong engine, and mocks the brand of Toyota’s Prius, as it is
a more economical solution for transportation. The overall emotion of the song is

9
aggression, which translates into strongly negative effects on Prius’ brand image. If a
celebrity mocks a product, its followers are more prone to perceive it as unworthy.

“Look dog, I don't run with the poodles

Difference is,

I'm eating in Rome and you eating Ramen Noodles

Ya' boy is corrupt kid”

– Lloyd Banks – I’m So Fly, 2004 (Genius 2016f)

Here the word “Ramen” is pronounced the same as “Roman”, and upon that wordplay
the punchline is built. Banks points out his situation of eating in Rome as a more
expensive lifestyle than eating Roman (Ramen) Noodles. He might be exaggerating his
villain qualities, because he proceeds by proudly stating that he is corrupt, but clearly
mocks the wide affordable brand. For large scale products, even this kind of mentioning
might increase the awareness, and eventually result in increased sales. However, in
terms of effects on brand image, this is certainly a strong negative conscious influence.

“Nike, Nike treat employees just like slaves

Gave LeBron a billi' not to run away (Yo!)”

- Kanye West – Facts, 2016 (Genius 2016g)

The negative influence on brand images in Hip Hop audio data doesn’t go worse than
this. Mr. West was a business partner with Nike, and their collaboration, the “Air
Yeezy’s” shoes, even resulted in greater sale numbers than “Air Jordan’s”. However, he
accused Nike of not paying the royalties he deserved, and signed a deal with their
competitor, Adidas. This line is a manifestation of his resentment.

4.1.3 Cases of Controversial or hard-to-determine Influence

“And I got back to my business, back to my bit****

Back to the kitchen, that Pyrex Vision

Pop, I let that white stuff sit in

Get hard, get rock, get to the block and pitchin' “

- The Diplomats – Dipset Anthem, 2003 (Genius 2016h)

10
A lot of rappers claim to distribute or that they were distributing crack-cocaine before
they were rappers, as a part of their gangster, villain-like brand stories. Pyrex is a brand
of kitchen equipment such as pots and pans, which name is mentioned in rap songs so
often that it almost became a metaphor for cooking crack. Even a “streetwear” clothing
brand based on printing the name “Pyrex” all over merchandise was created. Moreover
“Johnson & Johnson”, a name of a company that sells baby powder is a slang term for
cocaine powder, where “Gem Star” knife and “Mason” jar represent the remaining part of
the most famous equipment for cooking crack-cocaine in the Hip Hop world.

Figure 3. Frequency of kitchen equipement brands and “Johnson and Johnson”

mentioning in hip hop lyrics (Genius 2016b)

It can be seen from the graph how the “coke rap” trend was very popular in 2008. The
reason why this isn’t classified as a negative influence is that these products are never
mocked, but presented as something that is to use with respect, for the wrong purpose.
Movies like “Scarface” made the image of a coke lord - villain an icon of pop culture, so
the effect can be estimated by comparing with the idea of Al Pacino doing advertisement
for these products. Only brand managers of these companies can determine whether
this is a positive or negative influence, since all of these products aim for economies of
scale, and these references certainly enhance the global awareness of the brands.

“So when I bleep, shawty bleep back,

11
 Loui' Vuitton belt, where I'm keepin’ all the heat strapped”

– Jim Jones – We Fly High, 2006 (Genius 2016i)

“Bleeping” is about texting, where “Heat” = Gun. Jones is boasting how he uses the LV
belt to stash a weapon. Louis Vuitton mission statement includes promoting both
creativity and elegance, hence this this kind of use of their belt has a questionable effect
on their brand image, especially because the controversial word is coded.

4.2 Detail Analysis of Influence on Ralph Lauren and McDonald’s

This chapter will attempt to evaluate the overall influence that product placement in Hip
Hop audio data has on brand images of Ralph Lauren (a clothing brand) and
McDonald’s (a food chain brand). Mostly the conscious influence that meaning of the
lyrics has on listeners was previously discussed, but more detail analysis required
creating a specific evaluation system that also takes subconscious influence into
account. 12 random songs that have a brand name integrated were evaluated per each
brand. The following table displays factors that were rated, each according to own rating
scale, and then multiplied by weights that indicate amount of their significance, to form a
total score.

Factors that influence the brand image Type of factor WEIGHTS (Total sum is 1.) Rating scale

Conscious influence on Brand Image 1-5 (1= strong negative;

Influence portrayed by lyrics 2=negative; 3=controversial;
(VERBAL communication) 0.15 4=positive; 5= strong positive;)
Slang or interest-sparking use of words Mid grounds (Received through 3-5 (3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes)

verbal, but it can appeal to

around brand name drop subconscious) 0.35

Suggestive tone of voice
Alignment of the emotion with aimed brand
image (mission statement, music from ads)
Subconscious influence on the Brand 3-5 (3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes)
0.25
1-5 (1= strong negative;
2=negative; 3=controversial;
Image (NON-VERBAL communication) 0.2 4=positive; 5= strong positive;)

Figure 4. Evaluation factors for effects of Hip Hop audio data on brand images

Average score out of all 12 song scores was then calculated, where results would
indicate that the overall effect on brand image is: strongly negative if 1, negative if 2,

12
controversial or hard-to-determine if 3, positive if 4, and strongly positive if 5. This type
of evaluation is known as the Competitive profile matrix in strategic management,
adjusted for the case. (David 2010, 82) The factors were determined and the weights
distributed according to enlisted theoretical background and premises on musical
influence, slang words and insinuation, sales techniques and non-verbal communication.
Alignment of the overall emotion that song caries with the brand image was calculated
by comparing the overall vibe of the song with companies’ mission statements, then
music played at recent fashion shows for Ralph Lauren and ads for McDonald’s. Based
on the evalaution (see Appendixes 1 and 2), the following results were gain:

Figure 5. Results of evaluation of the effects of Hip Hop audio data on brand images

As it can be seen, in both cases the overall effects that hip hop songs on brand images
have were either positive or controversial (“hard-to-determine”). Positive means that the
song makes a promotion for a brand directed in a way that suits the company’s brand
management goals, while for controversial is hard to determine how would a listener
perceive a brand after hearing the name drop, and does it damage the brand or just
adds a different layer to it. This evaluation shows that even lyrics that put brand in a
negative light can make the brand be perceived as good when the elements of the
songs that appeal to the subconscious are included, especially if the listener isn’t fully
focused on the content.

13
5 CASES OF CLASHES BETWEEN COMPANIES
AND ARTISTS
Run DMC was one of the most significant hip hop groups during the era of ‘80s. One of
their biggest hits is a song named “My Adidas”. After witnessing many of fans raising
their pairs of Adidas, during the Run DMC concert in 1986, New York, one of Adidas’
employees was inspired to initiate an endorsement contract with the group.
Collaboration was successful, setting a stage for a lot of hip hop artists to later become
Adidas’ endorsers. (Businessoffashion 2016)

In his autobiographical book, “Decoded”, Carter (a.k.a. Jay Z) talks about how he and
his affiliates used to drink Cristal champagne in clubs, in 1996, when every other rapper
was buying Moet. It was his way to express sophistication, and he saw it as a metaphor
of change he was bringing into Hip Hop. However, years later the managing director of
the company, Frederic Rouzaud, was asked what does he think about an affiliation with
hip hop artists, by the interviewer from The Economist. He answered: “We can’t forbid
people from buying it”, and didn’t seem to appreciate the free promotion. Jay Z released
a statement that he will never drink or promote Cristal in any way, nor serve it in his own
clubs. He thinks how companies fail to notice that rappers add new entries – layers, to
the brands they promote, and that they provide a brand story that appeals to the
different segment of the market, the one that is likely to be attracted by something
dangerous, subversive, audacious or self-made. (Carter 2011, 113-118)

Gucci Mane is a rapper of large fan base, who achieved the peak of his popularity in
2009. He is known for always shouting his rap name throughout the songs, but also for
wearing Gucci merchandise and promoting the brand in that way too. He is infamous for
constantly going in and out of jail, but somehow manages to always produce and
release new music. It is hard to determine the brand value trade-off between the
company and the rapper, but the fact that there is no history of lawsuits issued by the
company, might imply that they embraced him as an unofficial brand character. (The
Fashion Law 2015)

Migos was a common rap trio from Atlanta, until they released a song named “Versace”
in 2013. Much more influential rapper Drake liked the song, and added his own verse for
14
the remix. This co-sign brought the attention to the original song, which become a huge
hit. What’s so specific is that the chorus is consisted out of only one word hypnotically
repeated, but with different intonations – the word “Versace”. This was perceived as
both annoying and extremely catchy. Later on, the video for the song was released,
recorded at the “Versace Mansion” in Miami that included a lady who is either the Vice
President of Versace – Donatella, or her look-alike. What is certain is that the song was
later played during the Versace fashion show, and that it marked Migos as the
trendsetters in Hip Hop, making their unique style of rapping a new standard and the
Versace clothes a revived trend among Hip Hop artists and fans. (Complex 2013)

In 2015, the rapper Lloyd Banks was asked to explain his process of writing songs
during one interview. He explained how he uses Hip Hop magazines, such as “Vibe” and
“Source” to pull random brand names out of ad pages to enrich the content and craft
rhymes more easily by finding appropriate syllables. He said that he used this method
from the very beginning of his career, however, one of his biggest hits is named
“Beamer, Benz or Bentley”. This confirms that rappers often promote brands that they
don’t necessarily use, but do it for the sake of artistic expression and public
expectations. (Karencivil 2015)

5.1 Personal Branding as the integrated part of Hip Hop: the case
of Rick Ross
Rick Ross is one of the most conscious hip hop artists in terms of personal branding. He
emerged in 2006 as a movie villain character, Miami’s coke lord on the Hip Hop scene.
He is bold, sports a beard, and almost never takes off his sunglasses, which makes his
face easy to recognize and even draw, like he was a Disney character. He possesses
multiple chains with his own symbolic images hanging as medallions.

15
Figure. 6 Pictures that reflect the personal branding of Rick Ross

“Got so many shades they thought I had a lazy eye,

Shorty rode me smooth as my Mercedes ride”

– Meek Mill ft. Rick Ross – I’m a Boss (Genius 2016j)

He even jokes about his dedication of wearing sunglasses (“shades”), but the core of his
brand is based on mentioning luxury brand names, to a larger degree than most of the
rappers. In 2009, he started his own record label named “Maybach Music Group”. To
this day, whenever Ross appears as a guest on other artists’ songs, there is a chopped-
up female vocal seductively declaring “Maybach Music” before his verse is about to
start, as his trademark sound. Even when Mercedes discontinued the production of
Maybach in 2011, Ross and his affiliates continued to praise it, stating how the situation
only increases the value of the brand name, because of the scarcity principle. (MTV
2012)

However, in 2008 he was exposed for working as a correctional officer before being a
rapper, in contradiction to his brand image of a criminal. At first he denied, but later
stated that he is proud of that part of his life and continued to promote criminal lifestyle
through his body of work. Moreover, his artist name “Rick Ross” is taken from an
infamous criminal named “Freeway” Ricky Ross. He even sued the rapper for
capitalizing of his name, but lost the court battle. (Stereogum 2014) In earlier ages,

16
artists with a fake story would be disrespected by the Hip Hop audience. Rick Ross is an
exhibit how constant display of a strong brand image managed to convince the
consumers to accept hip hop as a form of entertainment against its traditional cultural
values.

In 2013 he was working as an official endorser for Reebok, until he recorded a guest
appearance verse where he said:

That ni*** sold you that re-rock, you ain't even know it

I'd die over these Reeboks, you ain't even know it

Put Molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it

I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain't even know it

- Rocko ft. Rick Ross & Future – U.O.E.N.O., 2013 (Genius 2016k)

“Molly” is a slang term for ecstasy, and in this song he is talking how he put an ecstasy
pill into a certain lady’s drink without her knowledge, in order to enjoy with her later. He
was accused of promoting rape and released an apology via twitter, which didn’t seem
sincere to Reebok’s management. Reebok dropped the endorsement deal because
Ross reportedly didn’t understand the seriousness of the issue. (CNN 2013) Later on he
publicly apologized to Reebok and to all the women, stating how the lyric doesn’t reflect
his true heart. Rick Ross had even more disrespectful lyrics towards women earlier in
his career, and Reebok was well aware of his brand before the partnership. This can
imply the problem was is either the line being too close to the brand mention, or that
Feminist movement had a great influence. Ross has been seen wearing Reebok shoes
unceasingly afterwards, and stated that he will do so, regardless of the failed
partnership. There is a suspicion that he is still under endorsement contract. (Spin 2014)
His career and achievements reflect the research phenomenon in a nutshell.

6 CONCLUSION
The quantitative part of this research was based on the statistical analysis of the entire
known database of hip hop lyrics, and evaluation of their influence on the integrated
brands mentioned, through a special evaluation system built for the purpose. The
qualitative part presented numerous cases where the companies clashed with the
17
artists, which resulted in either collaboration or mutual disdain. By combining the results,
it can be concluded that the companies generally reach out to artists only in cases of
extreme positive or negative influence on their brand images, and otherwise don’t mind
the existence of unofficial promoters. Also that rappers to a large degree enhance their
own brand image and lyrical content by imputing brand names, and how they are very
hard to control, since most of them seems to always act and speak their mind. However,
the money and capitalism are being praised the most by the Hip Hop artists, so the
companies can sure afford some kind of control and cooperation if they strive to protect
their brand.

The way how the phenomenon affects the brand image of embedded products depends
greatly on the line of business, and the base of consumers that the brand is built upon.
Brand managing implies long-term thinking, where direct sales are more of a short-term
dimension. Branding should increase profits and secure profitability for the coming ages,
where sales are bringing the profit directly. Lyrics that might hurt some brands would
work in favor of others and vice versa. Hence, the large scale products like “Ramen
Noodles” are likely to benefit out of negative light shed, where “Cristal” might be hurt in
the long run just by being praised.

Brand names and trends in hip hop songs have become a so common appearance that
the effect on consumers has been greatly watered down compared to the time when “My
Adidas” emerged in the 1980s. Regardless, the consumers can be affected in 3 ways:

1. Subconsciously, by hearing the brand name mentions combined with the

emotion that instrumental of the song carries, appealing intonation and
wordplays. It can result in intuitive change of the attitude towards brands which
names are heard or memorized in relation to a song.
2. Consciously, by listening to with focus to the lyrics, taking opinions and influence
of the artists for granted. It can result in conscious favoring of the merchandise
that is promoted and trending.
3. Hybrid influence, starting as a conscious pursuit of the meaning of lyrics and
slang terms via the internet, which leads to looking up the mentioned products. It
can insinuate want and trick listeners into perceiving brands as their

18
 achievements, since they put in effort to encode their meaning. It also might
result in internet orders very quickly.

Unless a trend that is mocking a brand emerges through music, there is no great risk
that the brand image will be damaged. However, it’s very hard to predict what will
become a trend, especially in Hip Hop. If a company decides to take control over music
as a tool of marketing communication, it should:

1. Figure out what kind of brand story they want to portray and find a way to
promote it through lyrics. Or find a new layer of their brand that is already
promoted through lyrics, and adjust it in a direct cooperation with the artists.
2. Try to artificially create a trend that includes their product in cooperation with the
artists, and promote it through their music, especially if their target consumers
follow the mainstream system of values.
3. Think of some code name for their brand or products, to propose to rappers to
use it in order to work as insinuators – especially if the target consumers enjoy in
collectible and rare items.

The limitations of this study make the fact that is impossible to evaluate art objectively,
and that effect of music on emotions depends on current emotions and attitudes of each
listener. All the practiced ideas and evaluations in the research came from one person. If
it was implemented by a team of people, especially the one diversified in musical tastes
and fields of expertise, and if the evaluation system was created by the experts in
psychology, the results could be more objective. Scientific research on the purchasing
behavior after the exposure of consumers to the selected music would also be a good
idea for further research. Still, the achieved results could be identified as realistic by
comparison to real cases presented.

Since Hip Hop today represents a much larger portion of overall Pop culture, with bigger
influence and credibility, the further integration with companies behind big brand names
s is likely to happen in the future. It’s up to companies and artists to find a way to work
together.

19
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24

Ralph Lauren
Appendix 1. The evaluation of the influence of Product Placement in Hip Hop audio data
Evaluated Brand:
Mission statement: "Redefining American style,
providing quality products, creating worlds and
inviting people to take part in our dream."
1. "Shotgun in the Porsche, she don’t know where
we going
American Royalty on that yolo Ralph Lauren"
2. "Everything you aren't, fly ni*** soaring
Purple label Ralph Lauren, kick game like Atari"
3. "I'm first class to Spain, you still buying Ralph
Lauren (Polo!)"
4. "Ralph Lauren Blue Label as I'm getting High"
5. "1990's Polo Ralph Lauren on him;
Gone a few years, The whole world snoring on
6. "Polo Ralph Lauren bi***, that's what my
pajamas say"
7. "That mean my car got horses,
My Polo say Ralph Lauren"
on the brand image of Ralph Lauren
8. "I don't give two fucks if you know Ralph Lauren" Chip - 96 bars of Revenge
9. "You know that lo is the life that I'm living
Ralph Lauren always keep a nigga spending, word"
10. "Ralph Lauren leathers and suedes
Gold plated guns and grenades"
11. "It's 3 in the morning and I still look smart but Devlin - London City
I'm far from a poser. I'm sporting, Ralph Lauren
Lacoste, Lyle and Scott"
12. "I think I'm Based God, everything foreign Lil B - Think I'm Based God
Bi*** sucked my d***, I'm Ralph Lauren"
TOTAL AVERAGE per each factor:
WEIGHTS:
Name of the artist and the song
Childish Gambino - One up
50 Cent ft. Kendrick Lamar & Kidd Kidd - We
Up
Riff Raff - Tip Toe Wing in my Jawwdinz
Rick Ross ft. Nas - Triple Beam Dreams
Nas - No Introduction
Lil Wayne - Bill Gates
Lil Durk - B*****s & Bottles
Wiz Khalifa
Ft. Rob Markman & Smoke DZA - Rowland
Onyx - Last Dayz
Conscious influence on Brand Mid grounds (Received through
Image (VERBAL verbal, but it can appeal to
communication) subconscious)
Influence portrayed by lyrics Slang or interest-sparking use of Suggestive tone of voice
words around brand name drop
(1-5) (3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes)
2 4
3 5
1 3
3 4
4 4
3 3
3 3
1 3
2 3
3 3
4 3
1 3
2.5 3.416666667
0.15 0.35
Subconscious influence on the Brand Image (NON-VERBAL communication)
Alignment of the emotion Total Score: Taken as: Influence in percentage
with aimed brand image
Overall emotion (vibe) that song carries =>
(mission statement, music
(3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes) from fashion shows) 1-5
5 Confusion 2 3.35 3 41.67% = positive
5 Indifference 3 4.05 4 58.33 % = controversial
5 Mystery 3 3.05 3
3 Aggression 2 3 3
4 Nostalgia 3 3.6 4
25
5 Motivation, Aggression 4 3.55 4
4 Aggression 2 2.9 3
4 Aggression 2 2.6 3
5 Dreamscape 5 3.6 4
3 "Bottled" Agression, Dreamscape 3 2.85 3
5 Motivation, Dreamscape 5 3.9 4
4 Quiet Celebration 4 3 3
Total Average Score:
4.333333333 3.166666667 3.2875
0.25 0.2

Appendix 2. The evaluation of the influence of Product Placement in Hip Hop audio data
Evaluated Brand: McDonalds
Mission statement: " “Our mission is to be our
customers’ favorite place and way to eat & drink.
We’re dedicated to being a great place for our
people to work; to being a strong, positive
presence in your community; and to delivering the
quality, service, cleanliness and value our
customers have come to expect from the Golden
Arches – a symbol that’s trusted around the
world.."
1. "I used to cop in Harlem, hola my Dominicanos Jay Z ft. Alicia Keys - Empire state of mind
Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to
that McDonalds"
2. "The bitch like Benihana's, took that b**** to Chief Keef - War
McDonald's
I got plenty condoms and I got plenty commas"
3. "Lick my finger and swirl it round the bottom and Eminem - 3 AM
Make sure I got all of it, wake up naked at
McDonald's with Blood all over me.."
4. "You work hard, you don't beg, you don't borrow Yelawolf - American You
Night at the factory, daytime job at McDonald's"
5. "You never knew how to make dollars
You couldn't make orders at a drive-through
McDonald's"
6. "Smokin’ Cheeba, feeding divas McDonald’s
All the way in Milano, ashin’ out Cohibas
on the brand image of McDonald’s
7. "I want Ms and cheese, mister Mickey Ds
She know I am a beast, I am so obese"
8. "You mad cause you workin' at Mickey D's
Young ni**a, I'm flexin' like Hercules"
9. "I'm like you eating Mickey D's every day
I'm like Dirk Diggler going heavy on the yay"
10. "I'm still at that Mickey D's off of Atlantic
My BK ni**as, man, I feed them hammers"
11. "Off that BQE near Mickey D's
And occasionally treat myself to a nice little fish
and cheese"
12. "Yo rude boy, why you cross me like a little t?
I'm Minaj, big M, uh'uh not a Mickey D"
TOTAL AVERAGE per each factor:
WEIGHTS:
Name of the artist and the song
Nas - You wouldn't understand
The Game - Heaven's Arms
Young Thug ft. Birdman - Constantly Hating
Migos ft. Busta Rhymes, Emperor Ranks &
Migos - Shabba (Remix)
The High & Mighty - Dumb
G Unit - They Talked About Jesus
Joell Ortiz ft. Jim Jones - Nissan, Honda,
Chevy (remix)
Beyonce ft. Nicki Minaj - Single ladies
(remix)
Conscious influence on Brand Mid grounds (Received through
Image (VERBAL verbal, but it can appeal to
communication) subconscious)
Influence portrayed by lyrics Slang or interest-sparking use of Suggestive tone of voice
words around brand name drop
(1-5) (3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes)
3 3
2 3
1 4
3 3
2 3
4 3
4 5
2 5
3 5
4 5
4 5
3 5
2.916666667 4.083333333
0.15 0.35
Subconscious influence on the Brand Image (NON-VERBAL communication)
Alignment of the emotion Total Score: Taken as: Influence in percentage
with aimed brand image
Overall emotion (vibe) that song carries =>
(mission statement, music
(3 =no / 4=kind of / 5=yes) from ads) 1-5
3 Happy Nostalgia 4 3.05 3 50% = positive
3 Cartoonish Aggression 3 2.7 3 50%=controversial
4 Cartoonish Aggression 3 3.15 3
3 Harmony 5 3.25 3
26
3 Quiet Celebration 4 2.9 3
4 Mystery 3 3.25 3
4 Cartoonish Dreamscape 5 4.35 4
3 Cartoonish 4 3.6 4
4 Cartoonish, mystery 3 3.8 4
3 Confusion 2 3.5 4
4 Smooth Criminal 3 3.95 4
5 Cartoonish, mystery 5 4.45 4
3.583333333 3.666666667 Total average Score:
View publication stats
0.25 0.2 3.125