Hip hop’s brand promotion shifted from paid placement to artist-owned brands

Evidence

“We’ve made a lot of money for a lot of companies over the years,” explains Kareem Burke of Roc-A-Fella Records in 2002. “Since we have so much influence, we can make money for ourselves by expanding our businesses. No more Belvedere Vodka or Cristal Champagne in our music or videos.” Shortly thereafter, Sean Combs would get involved with Cîroc, Jay-Z with Armand de Brignac, along with a host of other, less successful attempts by a litany of rappers. In 2012, Jay-Z added another French liquor to his portfolio, entering into a brand partnership with D’ussé, a cognac owned by Bacardi. With mentions in songs by rappers outside of his RocNation roster, including a song named “D’usse” by Lil Wayne, Jay-Z has succeeded in inserting another status ­signifier into the rap lexicon. — Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, 343

Categorization

• XREF: A pivot point in the aesthetics-of-finance argument: artist ownership changes which brand mentions appear and thus changes lyrical content.