Who sold the soul?

The big dogs get behind our "underground" artists now.

This is a little something some of us shot back and forth over e-mail back in the beginning of December, after seeing numerous occurrences of emcees and artists we actually respect getting dough or dap in mainstream ways. It started rather simply, and ballooned into another one of those moments where you realize just how huge Hip-Hop, and all thangs funky that go along with it, has become.

It came to mind again after realizing Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob fame was just on the Grammys, seeing Talib Kweli's Big Ten commercial on repeat and watching a VH1 replay of their three-part history on hip-hop over the weekend, complete with its small time beginnings at Cedar Park in the South Bronx.

Our discussion:

Mentos:
O.K. guys. Common's Gap ad.

Thoughts? Feelings?

Ox, I'm expecting a good rant from you.

TiVo:
That's funny. I've been working on a blog post about this since I saw Jiggaman in the MNF booth. I haven't written it yet, but basically it goes like this:

I have now seen:
Jay-Z in the Monday Night Football booth
Outkast on The View
Three-6 Mafia win an Oscar
and Ice Cube do a kids movie.
Flavor Flav, Run and DMC are VH1 stars (remember when VH1 only played Amy Grant and Michael Bolton?)
X to the Z's show is huge on M to the TV
Common is selling me Gap
Mos Def GMCs
Grandmaster Flash Jeeps
Talib Kweli was on the ESPYs.
Speaking of the mighty Mos, he starred in a major motion picture alongside Bruce Willis
Busta Bus was next to Samuel L. Jackson
Snoop was with Ben Affleck and Owen Wilson
The RZA and Jennifer Aniston? No lie.
Ice T's been major in Hollyweird.
Latifah too.
We don't even call her Queen anymore, do we?
I know Snoop "Doggy Dogg" is a pitchman for just about everything. For Shizzle.
etc., etc.

The list was mad longer. If you guys can think of any things that show how big hip-hop is, how it's basically transcended itself -- mostly with real artists I respect too, not these dudes who come in the game looking to make loot and make loot only -- I'd love to have you add to the list. You can't knock these guys' hustle, especially when the ads do the culture justice ... but it still feels weird, this music that 10 years ago was all about 'No Crossover.'

Basically it's just a running list of things that baffle me, since I have been filling up my still-relatively-new iPod with my music, plenty of which is old-school rebelliousness. Funny how it's the same music (or is it?) that was unaccepted and against all this stuff way back when.

Anyway, you can draw the parallels to the Hollywoodificiation of Jazz and Rock too ... all I'm saying is somebody send Kool Herc a check.

Brother B:
You should write that thing, complete with videos to boot. Would be a massive joint.

I was thinking about this yesterday and while most of the advertising you see hip hop in now is kinda, well mainstream, I'm just glad it's evolved into more positive "realms" (so to speak) than the classic St. Ides radio spots. Yeah they were dope, but promoting alcoholism isn't what I wanted my heroes in rhyme to be doing. Stick to Cross Colours homies!!!! :)

Of course, you can claim that modern day elixirs do the same (See: Budweiser Selects' Q-Tip spot, among a few others), so have we really come that far? Now if Ciara or one of her numerous clones wants to sell her soul to Heineken then that's fine, cause that ain't my bag.

Is the whole thing that bad? I find myself cringing at certain artists who do commercials or if the commercial itself is blatantly "Bad" hip hop, I get mad like "How can someone approve this? This ain't my Kulture!". But the Common ad doesn't really bother me all that much, except for the "gap" sign he throws at the end ... overtly sexual are we? :)

View the ad here

It's funny cause I was looking in Google for some articles about the subject to reference and when I googled "Hip Hop Used In Advertising"... Check the first return. Ironic?

B.

Oh and Doug E.'s McDonald's commercial.

Ko-Z:
What about Kweli's Big Ten Conference commercial? Everyone is everywhere. It's too late.

Mentos:
How about the 1st really big hip hop ad campaign.... SPRITE. Those joints were hot. Of course you had kris and shan and pete rock and cl smooth

The Sprite joints are on YouTube

I thought there was a grand puba one with large pro too

Snizz Marquis:
I have felt disappointment/anger/empathy/and a whole other range of emotions when I see Common shilling GAP products. While at least GAP is a somewhat progressive, conscious corporation (which I am currently applying for a job at); It pains me to see my "secret world" exposed on national TV in between Desparate Housewives.

However, anything artistic and enjoyable can only be embraced by a "few" for so long before mainstream takes a hold. At that point, the message becomes diluted and that is where I feel sorrow. Common has to make his money, but what he (and others) represented to my "world of hip hop" has changed. Manifesting their talents to meet mainstream tastes. An evolution that did not occur in Sprite (where the commercials were shot in Black and White, in the studio, or on the stoop). Keeping the essence ... not walking around on a "khaki" peace sign.

Maybe it is me, Hip Hop has grown up and accepted commercial mainstream. Even before advertisements, I found my favorite musicians to be losing a step.

Did y'all check out this interview on Spine Magazine (by way of Gilles Peterson's podcast)? Enough to show me the music of hip hop is not dead.

Peace, Love, and Rap