August 12, 2004
All Blinged Out
I was struck by these lines from Oliver Wang's recent piece on the 25th anniversary of "Rapper's Delight":
- The thing is, hip-hop isn't the best-kept secret anymore. It doesn't need another canon erected in its honor. People used to backlash against rap music because it upset the status quo, but these days people rail against it because it's become the status quo.
How true, how true. To wit:
- * According to this Time magazine article Chrysler's Bling King, the new 300C is now the de facto ride of the hip hop generation: "The sedan, which went on sale in the spring, is the hottest iron out of Chrysler in a generation. Beefy, brash, styled like a gangstermobile, it is resonating with urban hipsters, popping up in music videos and car-makeover magazines, tricked out with big wheels, lowered suspensions and interiors with mini-bars and reclining seats. Shaq owns one; so does Snoop Dogg."
* There's more to this story. When the Chrysler 300C first came out, Snoop actually offered to be the official hip hop spokesperson of the vehicle (in a viral marketing sense). Reportedly, he placed an immediate call to Chrysler's CEO. The request went something like this: "What I gotta’ do to get that brand new 300 up outta’ you? If you want this car to blow, give it to me. Get back in contact with my nephew so he can make it happen, then it’s official like a referee with a whistle.” Fo' shizzle.
* But hip hop isn't just moving the needle for American vehicles, it's used to sell everything now. Many of hip hop's top players are actually behind the start-up of advertising and marketing agencies according to Hip Hop's Ad Men in this past week's Times.
* Not only was P.Diddy all over last month's DNC ("Vote or Die, baby"), further proof of hip hop's mainstream consciousness is this form of Big Pimpin' philanthropy, courtesy of Nelly's Pimp Juice.
* Lastly, there's this new novel -- from one Erica Kennedy -- which satirizes the hip hop world. It's called -- what else? -- "Bling" (found at Mixed Media Watch)