Rappers Battle of Over Brand Names

[Hipper2dHopper]

Next time leave your name when you give me a bad rep

[Hipper2dHopper]

When McDonald's asks rappers to send it a shout out in song — and offers to pay for every play — the company is only following example of such supersize luxury brands as Rolex, Bentley and Cristal Champagne.
"Hip hop can make or break a brand," says Lucian James, whose Agenda Inc. ranks products by the number of times it is mentioned in tunes on Billboard's Top 20 Singles chart.

"Hip hop isn't just a music movement but a global youth movement that has created such power over the last few years, it's now driving all of youth culture," says James.

The top 10 props in Agenda's latest "American Brandstand" survey went to Cadillac, Hennessy cognac, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Gucci, Jaguar, Chevrolet, Cristal, Bentley and Maybach.

Along with such 2004 newcomers as MTV, Rolex, Dom Perignon and Victoria's Secret, James already has some predictions for 2005, too.

For the latest week, he says, "the Billboard chart has slightly more brands than songs," he says, like "Bacardi, Coca-Cola, Fetish, John Galliano, Porsche GT. New entries include Vivienne Westwood, mentioned by Gwen Stefani, and she also makes sure to mention her own LAMB line of clothing.

"The chart tends to change drastically whenever 50 Cent gets involved, and this week he's responsible for most of the brands. He's all about liquor and car brands."

(Source DaveyD)