Entries with tag "mcdonalds"

While doing an unrelated Google search, I came across this article about the way McDonald's is paying hip-hop artists to mention the Big Mac in their songs. The article mentions that the strategy was used earlier by Seagram's Gin, who got Petey Pablo to mention it in their song, "Freek-a-leek" (I am impressed with the thoughtful and poetic way they managed to work it into the song: "Now I got to give a shout out to Seagram's Gin/Cause I'm drinkin' it and they payin' me for it"). How can any artist retain their credibility with such overt marketing in their songs? I realize modern hip-hop tends to focus on commercial success, but in the world of rock, the artists live with the constant spectre of being branded a "sellout" looming over their heads. Changing their musical style slightly can often be enough to release the hounds. The hip-hop scene must be an alien world indeed if rappers can be as overtly commercial as that without losing their fanbase (Freek-a-leek reached #2 on the Billboard hip-hop chart, which I would not consider a scathing rejection).