RAPPERS who plug booze brands in their tunes are turning teens into underage drinkers, boffins have said.
Stars such as 50 Cent (36) and P Diddy (41) are increasingly name-dropping top alcohol brands such as Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Cristal champagne in their music.
Many even use lyrics to plug their own brands, such as 41-year-old Jay-Z’s Armadale Vodka, and Snoop Dogg (39) who has his own cognac. But researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, said their study shows this is encouraging teenagers to hit the bottle.
They found that a shocking 25 per cent of rap and R&B songs played on the radio include a plug for booze or other brands. “The average teen is exposed to 2.5 hours of music per day, so their exposure to alcohol brand references is substantial,” they said.
Once a song becomes a hit, artists are rewarded with mega money sponsorship deals.
When Busta Rhymes (40) and P Diddy’s hit Pass The Courvoisier was released in 2002, the cognac’s sales jumped 18.9 per cent. They then received a lucrative contract with Courvoisier.
However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing and mutually beneficial between rap stars and beverage companies. In 2006 rap super-heavy weight Jay-Z vowed never to drink or stock Cristal in his sports lounges after he took offense to comments made by Frederic Rouzad, managing director of the company that owns the champagne.
Rouzad said he viewed the attention form the rap community on his product with “curiosity and serenity”. Jay-Z said: “I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life.” (Source: MSNBC)
Pass The Courvoisier - Busta Rymes and P Diddy.
Jay-Z mentions Armadale Vodka and other products.
Nas and P Diddy wasting perfectly good Cristal.
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