Strange sellouts: The thread!

[Tokyo Slim]

OK, first off, I first saw Common live back when he was calling himself Common Sense. He seemed like a great dude. Smart, well spoken, intelligent, focused. I was really happy for him when he started to have real tangible commercial success. That being said, I think shilling for the Gap takes is a REALLY strange move. First of all, he's always seemed like the thrift-store shopping kind of guy to me, and when I think of the gap, unique, afrocentric, hip hop artists who wish they were hippies don't really spring immediately to mind. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I dunno, it just seems weird to me.



Also, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Floetry, Common, De La Soul, and etc. Have been on tours sponsored by (and advertizing) KOOL cigarettes. Now, stop me if I'm wrong, but aren't KOOL's (and menthols in general) marketed heavily in "black" communities? Isn't this a VERY obvious way to get young black people to give RJ Reynolds their marketing info, to get free "sample packs" of cigarettes into their hands? Even if everyone on the tour smokes ( and I find that hard to believe ) Don't they think that repeatedly headlining an event sponsored by a cigarette company that markets their product (which has been proven to be unhealthy) SPECIFICALLY to black youth, is not really an OK thing to be doing? I mean, did nobody think of this?

I guess that Gap ad isn't so bad after all, I mean, at least he's not in a Malt Liquor commercial with SpongeBob SquarePants. Sheesh.

 

[LabelKing]

Bryan Ferry is a bit of a coporate shill in Europe, it seems.

David Bowie is in ads for Tommy Hilfiger of all things.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I guess that Gap ad isn't so bad after all, I mean, at least he's not in a Malt Liquor commercial with SpongeBob SquarePants. Sheesh.

Speak for yourself, son...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by whodini

Speak for yourself, son...
That there was the "death" of West Coast rap man. "Gangstaz" gone commercial. Sort of like the "Shiny Suit Era" on the east coast.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by whodini

Speak for yourself, son...
...Just, wow... Oh, and to the OP - yeah, I got a bit of a shock from seeing the Gap ads too. I always thought of Common as a more indie, does-his-own thing kinda rapper, and I'd always bring him up in conversations to defend hip-hop and also hip-hop style. I guess you gotta pay the bills, though.

 

[Arethusa]

Wow. Yeah. Damn. As for Common, he was never true indie. When Brother Ali does a Peace Love Gap commercial, then I'll be worried.

 

[Bergdorf Goodwill]

Did you miss Common shilling Coca-Cola a few years ago?

 

[Rome]

Its not that supprising.There is a skit at the end of “The 6th Sense” that intros for a “Film Called (Pimp)”, it pretty much sums it up. The video for “Be” was practically a JumpMan commercial. I think he has reached his plateau as an artist and is just now capitalizing off the cred he borrowed from loving H.E.R., not that theres anything wrong with that.

 

[maomao1980]

a true artist is someone like D'angelo, whose first album helped made popular a whole new genre, disappears, then comes back with a second album that can't be categorized, is impossible to play on radio (there weren't any "songs" per se), and shoots a video with just himself naked standing infront of a black back drop that can't really be played on TV, and then gets fat on weed, yeap...

 

[jpeirpont]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

That there was the "death" of West Coast rap man. "Gangstaz" gone commercial.

Sort of like the "Shiny Suit Era" on the east coast.
B.I.G had a St. IDES commercial also.

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by jpeirpont

B.I.G had a St. IDES commercial also.
Link please. Is St. Ides out of production? I'm throwing a gangsta rap party in January.

 

[JBZ]

Though I've never really been a fan, John Mellencamp's recent partnership with Chevy ("this is our couuuuuntry&quot is a bit surprising. He seemed to have always shunned that sort of thing in the past.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

my friend went to a common show some years back and was appalled by his homophobia (this was pre-electric circus or whatever)

ANYWAY

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

OK, first off, I first saw Common live back when he was calling himself Common Sense. He seemed like a great dude. Smart, well spoken, intelligent, focused. I was really happy for him when he started to have real tangible commercial success. That being said, I think shilling for the Gap takes is a REALLY strange move. First of all, he's always seemed like the thrift-store shopping kind of guy to me, and when I think of the gap, unique, afrocentric, hip hop artists who wish they were hippies don't really spring immediately to mind. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I dunno, it just seems weird to me.



My gf and I hate this ******* commercial. It's the most idiotic commercial on TV right now. We're boycotting Gap for the rest of this year.

It goes to show that there are definite negative consequences of a cheesy commercial.

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by JBZ

Though I've never really been a fan, John Mellencamp's recent partnership with Chevy ("this is our couuuuuntry") is a bit surprising. He seemed to have always shunned that sort of thing in the past.

Are you un-American? Melloncamp is the most patriotic thing America has ever produced! In this time of terrorist invasions, we need patriots like him to come out and support American industry.