posted on February 9, 2003 02:25:31 AM new
Hip-Hop Mogul Simmons Urges Pepsi Boycott
NEW YORK - Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network said an economic boycott of Pepsi would start next week unless the company runs an ad featuring the rapper Ludacris that was pulled last year.
"Falling out of favor in the hip-hop community could be very damaging," Simmons said Wednesday. He also wants Pepsi to issue an apology and donate $5 million to his charity organization.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's one thing for community leadrers to call for a boycott. It's a whole nother matter when the owner of the artist in questions record label does it and also demands a $50 million donation to his own charity.
Simmons loses credibility when he tries to grab the moral highground in a matter where he stands to make a financial gain.
posted on February 9, 2003 04:18:54 AM new
BTW - WHen I mentioned personal financial gan, I was not referring to the "donation" to SImmons charity. I was refrring to profitting from record sales resulting from his artist appearing in the commercial.
posted on February 9, 2003 05:44:43 AM new
neonmania - Sorry I wasn't clearer.
Pepsi WAS going to promote Ludacris [as your article says, sometime last year] and many, who think their music is inappropriate threatened a boycott then. I supported the idea of that boycott as I think the group is atrocious. Talk about moral decay...they're a great example.
Now they're going to boycott Pepsi...and are asking for an apology and of course, money...just like Jessie Jackson.
posted on February 9, 2003 10:55:39 AM new
Please don't get me wrong - I think that the concept of signing the deal with Ludachris in he first place was absurd. Somebody looked at the charts and signed an act without doing ANY research. Pepsi is in a tough spot trying to balance the desire to appeal to the HipHop market with finding an act whose image and material they want to associate their company with. Ludacris should never have been on the consideration list to begin with.
My point in bringing this topic to the table was not the quality (or lack thereof) of the music involved in the ads but rather the absurdity of a record label owner calling for a boycott of a product that because his artists ad was pulled. Had Simmons stated tha he would donate proceeds from any surge in record sales (i.e. Dirty Vegas sales following the MItsubishi commercial) I would give his indignation more credence.
posted on February 9, 2003 11:17:19 AM new
I know who Ludacris is. This was all discussed on Fox News back sometime between Aug and Nov. of last year. The New York Times and USA Today did articles on this subject too. Whether it was appropriate or not. Big stink made over it. He's a rapper, just like Eminem and other rappers who's 'new style' of music is degrading to women, promotes violence against women and gays, glorify drugs, casual sex....etc. There are quite a few of 'them'.
Pepsi should never have even considered them in my opinion.
And on Ozzie...no. Why promote 'weird'. Promote normal people to our young children. I'm aware that Ludacris felt like he was not considered and then Pepsi decided to use Ozzie. Still a wrong choice imo.
