Anatomy of a Sellout
by B-Lo Tim
So I'm sitting at home half watching the NBA finals half watching my newborn daughter stir in her crib. Well maybe 75% daughter 25% game(Defense is boring and daughters are a blessing) but that's two topics that'll have to wait because suddenly 100% attention went right to the screen at the unmistakable voice and cadence of none other than the Mighty MosDef. Now I could listen to Mos rap about paint drying and it would still be fly so it wasn't until this commercial was over that it sunk in what I just witnessed. In one sixty second spot for the GM Danali, Mos Def crossed the thin line from the entrepreneurial spirit of Hip-hop to total sellout and worst of all hypocrite. Before I get into why, I need to reiterate my respect for Mos' career to date and his up til now ability to separate his art from his hustle so to speak. It is because of this respect that I'm writing this.
With that said, let me explain why this really left a terrible taste in my mouth by an artist who in my eyes has lost his integrity. It has to do with my favorite song off his album Black on Both Sides "New World Water". In this song Mos rails against large corporations for their exploitation of the earth and warns of the upcoming crisis that will soon be upon us when the earths resources are no longer enough to sustain us. "F*%$ a bank, I need a 20 year water tank" is one of the lines made sadly ironic by his current endorsement. There's allot of talk these days about the limited subject matter in rap music, with NWW Mos Def distanced himself from the pack and showed hip-hop potential as a means for fighting the power on a global scale.
The GM Denali is among the biggest SUVs on the market today and is built solely for style and status. There is no illusion that this is bought by construction crews or taken on safari where there are no roads. A quote from the GM site "The Denali name has become synonymous with style, luxury and performance" backs up my assertion. It's the use of such an environmentally unfriendly vehicle as a status symbol that flies in the face of mos everything mos def had previously stood for. Even without the environmental hypocrisy this endorsement doesn't coincide with Mos' place in the Hip-Hop world as an alternative to the rampant materialism that permeates our culture. But I guess that's a place that was given to him and not asked for so I'll stick to the obvious.
Here's a link to GM's site and an article they have posted regarding their new pitchman.
www.gm.com/company/gmabil...50905.html
GM appears to be completely shameless in what they are attempting to do. Sell Denali's to blacks using Mos Def's credibility in that community. I hope at this point that a backlash from his fan base will help him see the light. You do not deliver your community to corporations. There are names for people who do that. Until Mos Def breaks his ties to GM he's a part of rap history to me not it's future.
There are many layers to this. It's both insulting to his fans and hypocritical in more ways than I've hit on. I left those out to give you guys a start to a discussion I hope will ensue.
B-Lo Tim
Below is the article and press release from GM
GMC Introduces New Diversity Advertising Campaigns
DETROIT (May 2, 2005) The GMC division of General Motors Corporation announced today the details of new advertising plans featuring the recently launched Envoy Denali that target specific consumers in diverse markets. A new, original television advertisement targeted at African American consumers is set to launch on May 7, with the first peak at GMC's largest ever Spanish language campaign aimed at the Hispanic market breaking on May 12.
"We aren't simply translating our general market ads into Spanish or using one ad or campaign in an attempt to market to everyone. GMC is committed to speaking to consumers in a culturally relevant fashion through in-language and in-culture communications," said Steve Rosenblum, GMC marketing director. "The creation of these new, original campaigns emphasize this dedication and will greatly assist with generating sales for these important new Envoy Denali models.
The Envoy Denali continues GMC's trend of continuous refinement with premium styling appointments including the signature chrome-plated Denali honeycomb grille, body-color side moldings, body-color outside mirrors (heated and with integrated turn signal indicator), and polished forged aluminum 17-inch wheels. Nuance leather seats immediately signal the accommodating environments of the Envoy Denali while selective use of satin nickel and burl wood grain accents also complement the upscale passenger compartment.
"The Denali name has become synonymous with style, luxury and performance," said Rosenblum, while providing the capability youd expect from a GMC.
GMC has achieved sales records for the past 11 out of 12 years and is continuing to conquest new buyers, including Hispanics and African Americans.
African American Advertising
Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated actor and musician Mos Def, will appear in a new African American targeted television advertisement introducing the new Envoy Denali SUV set to air for the first time on May 7. The ad was created by Oakland , California based Carol H. Williams Advertising, which specializes in the African American market.
The spot dubbed "Poetry in Motion," shows Mos Def and the Envoy Denali sharing the same space on screen with visual special effects bringing parts of the vehicle together to form the new product. Mos Defs poetry underscores the spot with product attributes interspersed within his lines. In November 2004, a Yukon Denali advertisement titled "Reflections" featured Mos Def's song "Climb" from the 2002 release Black on Both Sides.
"This spot is aimed to reach African American consumers through more general market broadcasting placements," said Rosenblum.
The new commercial is scheduled to begin airing nationally on networks and programming including ABC, ESPN, UPN and BET.
"We set out to encapsulate the unique qualities of the Denali line of SUVs in this creative execution, said Raymond Clemons, Vice President and Creative Director for Carol H Williams Advertising. We used some special effects to build on the confident style and ability the Envoy Denali has. Mos Def further defines those parallel qualities of understated ability and style through his talent and achievements.
A respected Hip Hop artist and entertainer, Mos Def currently appears in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where he plays the character Ford Prefect. He is set to return in the sequel to The Italian Job in 2006. He appeared in the critically acclaimed Monsters Ball and later appeared in Brown Sugar and the HBO Film Something the Lord Made, in which he was nominated for an Emmy.
Hispanic Advertising
The new, original Hispanic dedicated campaign titled Real Everyday Pros will be GMCs largest Spanish language advertising campaign to date. The ads showcase real heroes in the community and compares their qualities to the Denali line of GMC vehicles, highlighting how GMCs advanced technology can give you more than you can imagine.
The first television spot, advertising the Envoy XL Denali, will launch May 12, followed by the remainder of the campaign in June and July featuring a national Sierra Denali spot and various regional placements in addition to print and outdoor. The ads were created by GMCs Hispanic advertising agency, Accentmarketing, and will run in major Hispanic lifestyle, automotive and business publications.
Since 2003, GMCs Hispanic market share has equaled that in the general market, said Rosenblum. We are continuing to create dedicated advertising efforts in diverse markets because they are critical to GMCs continued success.
In addition to new traditional advertising initiatives, GMC will continue to support its positioning among sports enthusiasts with a presence within several Yahoo! fantasy games which support the professional grade positioning that highlight the features, claims, and innovations that GMC has to offer . GMC sponsors the first ever Mexican League Fantasy Game that Yahoo! developed, in addition to fantasy baseball (M.L.B.), football (N.F.L.) and basketball (N.B.A.).
GMC also sponsors the Fox Sports Premios Awards Show - the Hispanic equivalent to the ESPYs in the general market. The Premios Fox Sports awards show celebrates the excellence of Hispanic athletes, honoring both their athletic achievements and contributions to their sport and communities
by B-Lo Tim
So I'm sitting at home half watching the NBA finals half watching my newborn daughter stir in her crib. Well maybe 75% daughter 25% game(Defense is boring and daughters are a blessing) but that's two topics that'll have to wait because suddenly 100% attention went right to the screen at the unmistakable voice and cadence of none other than the Mighty MosDef. Now I could listen to Mos rap about paint drying and it would still be fly so it wasn't until this commercial was over that it sunk in what I just witnessed. In one sixty second spot for the GM Danali, Mos Def crossed the thin line from the entrepreneurial spirit of Hip-hop to total sellout and worst of all hypocrite. Before I get into why, I need to reiterate my respect for Mos' career to date and his up til now ability to separate his art from his hustle so to speak. It is because of this respect that I'm writing this.
With that said, let me explain why this really left a terrible taste in my mouth by an artist who in my eyes has lost his integrity. It has to do with my favorite song off his album Black on Both Sides "New World Water". In this song Mos rails against large corporations for their exploitation of the earth and warns of the upcoming crisis that will soon be upon us when the earths resources are no longer enough to sustain us. "F*%$ a bank, I need a 20 year water tank" is one of the lines made sadly ironic by his current endorsement. There's allot of talk these days about the limited subject matter in rap music, with NWW Mos Def distanced himself from the pack and showed hip-hop potential as a means for fighting the power on a global scale.
The GM Denali is among the biggest SUVs on the market today and is built solely for style and status. There is no illusion that this is bought by construction crews or taken on safari where there are no roads. A quote from the GM site "The Denali name has become synonymous with style, luxury and performance" backs up my assertion. It's the use of such an environmentally unfriendly vehicle as a status symbol that flies in the face of mos everything mos def had previously stood for. Even without the environmental hypocrisy this endorsement doesn't coincide with Mos' place in the Hip-Hop world as an alternative to the rampant materialism that permeates our culture. But I guess that's a place that was given to him and not asked for so I'll stick to the obvious.
Here's a link to GM's site and an article they have posted regarding their new pitchman.
www.gm.com/company/gmabil...50905.html
GM appears to be completely shameless in what they are attempting to do. Sell Denali's to blacks using Mos Def's credibility in that community. I hope at this point that a backlash from his fan base will help him see the light. You do not deliver your community to corporations. There are names for people who do that. Until Mos Def breaks his ties to GM he's a part of rap history to me not it's future.
There are many layers to this. It's both insulting to his fans and hypocritical in more ways than I've hit on. I left those out to give you guys a start to a discussion I hope will ensue.
B-Lo Tim
Below is the article and press release from GM
GMC Introduces New Diversity Advertising Campaigns
DETROIT (May 2, 2005) The GMC division of General Motors Corporation announced today the details of new advertising plans featuring the recently launched Envoy Denali that target specific consumers in diverse markets. A new, original television advertisement targeted at African American consumers is set to launch on May 7, with the first peak at GMC's largest ever Spanish language campaign aimed at the Hispanic market breaking on May 12.
"We aren't simply translating our general market ads into Spanish or using one ad or campaign in an attempt to market to everyone. GMC is committed to speaking to consumers in a culturally relevant fashion through in-language and in-culture communications," said Steve Rosenblum, GMC marketing director. "The creation of these new, original campaigns emphasize this dedication and will greatly assist with generating sales for these important new Envoy Denali models.
The Envoy Denali continues GMC's trend of continuous refinement with premium styling appointments including the signature chrome-plated Denali honeycomb grille, body-color side moldings, body-color outside mirrors (heated and with integrated turn signal indicator), and polished forged aluminum 17-inch wheels. Nuance leather seats immediately signal the accommodating environments of the Envoy Denali while selective use of satin nickel and burl wood grain accents also complement the upscale passenger compartment.
"The Denali name has become synonymous with style, luxury and performance," said Rosenblum, while providing the capability youd expect from a GMC.
GMC has achieved sales records for the past 11 out of 12 years and is continuing to conquest new buyers, including Hispanics and African Americans.
African American Advertising
Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated actor and musician Mos Def, will appear in a new African American targeted television advertisement introducing the new Envoy Denali SUV set to air for the first time on May 7. The ad was created by Oakland , California based Carol H. Williams Advertising, which specializes in the African American market.
The spot dubbed "Poetry in Motion," shows Mos Def and the Envoy Denali sharing the same space on screen with visual special effects bringing parts of the vehicle together to form the new product. Mos Defs poetry underscores the spot with product attributes interspersed within his lines. In November 2004, a Yukon Denali advertisement titled "Reflections" featured Mos Def's song "Climb" from the 2002 release Black on Both Sides.
"This spot is aimed to reach African American consumers through more general market broadcasting placements," said Rosenblum.
The new commercial is scheduled to begin airing nationally on networks and programming including ABC, ESPN, UPN and BET.
"We set out to encapsulate the unique qualities of the Denali line of SUVs in this creative execution, said Raymond Clemons, Vice President and Creative Director for Carol H Williams Advertising. We used some special effects to build on the confident style and ability the Envoy Denali has. Mos Def further defines those parallel qualities of understated ability and style through his talent and achievements.
A respected Hip Hop artist and entertainer, Mos Def currently appears in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where he plays the character Ford Prefect. He is set to return in the sequel to The Italian Job in 2006. He appeared in the critically acclaimed Monsters Ball and later appeared in Brown Sugar and the HBO Film Something the Lord Made, in which he was nominated for an Emmy.
Hispanic Advertising
The new, original Hispanic dedicated campaign titled Real Everyday Pros will be GMCs largest Spanish language advertising campaign to date. The ads showcase real heroes in the community and compares their qualities to the Denali line of GMC vehicles, highlighting how GMCs advanced technology can give you more than you can imagine.
The first television spot, advertising the Envoy XL Denali, will launch May 12, followed by the remainder of the campaign in June and July featuring a national Sierra Denali spot and various regional placements in addition to print and outdoor. The ads were created by GMCs Hispanic advertising agency, Accentmarketing, and will run in major Hispanic lifestyle, automotive and business publications.
Since 2003, GMCs Hispanic market share has equaled that in the general market, said Rosenblum. We are continuing to create dedicated advertising efforts in diverse markets because they are critical to GMCs continued success.
In addition to new traditional advertising initiatives, GMC will continue to support its positioning among sports enthusiasts with a presence within several Yahoo! fantasy games which support the professional grade positioning that highlight the features, claims, and innovations that GMC has to offer . GMC sponsors the first ever Mexican League Fantasy Game that Yahoo! developed, in addition to fantasy baseball (M.L.B.), football (N.F.L.) and basketball (N.B.A.).
GMC also sponsors the Fox Sports Premios Awards Show - the Hispanic equivalent to the ESPYs in the general market. The Premios Fox Sports awards show celebrates the excellence of Hispanic athletes, honoring both their athletic achievements and contributions to their sport and communities
Are we so beat'n down by our mass media that it's natural for "revolutionaries" to work with corporations? 
Do the ends justify the means?
