Rap Music

Product Mentions in Rap Music
Data and Statistics provided by: American Brandstand

2003

* There were 82 different brands mentioned in the Billboard Top 20
	in 2003.
* Of the 111 songs in the Billboard Top 20, 43 had brands in the
	lyrics.
* The most mentioned brand - MERCEDES BENZ.
* The artist who mentioned most brands - 50 Cent.
* The most amount of brands in a single week of the Billboard top
	20 in 2003 was 47, on April 12th.
* The most brands crammed into one song... 14 - by Lil' Kim in 'The
	Jump Off'.

Other noteworthy things from 2003

* Rappers singing about their own brands - as more rappers and hip-
	hop stars launch brands of their own, they began showing up in
	the American Brandstand chart. The highest of these was Snoop
	Dogg's line of clothing which made it to #37 in the American
	Brandstand chart. Followed by Armadale vodka (owned by Jay-Z)
	which made it to #43. Lower down the chart, G-Unit sneakers
	(from 50 Cent) sharing the #60 position with Rocawear (from the
	Jay-Z / Damon Dash collective).
* Polaroid - We predict that Polaroid will become the My Adidas of
	the new millennium...
* Most bizarre reference of the year - "Put anthrax on a Tampax /
	and slap you till you can't stand" - (Eminem - Superman)
* Most Lil' Kim-ish lyric of 2003 - "Let me show you what I'm all
	about / How I make a Sprite can disappear in my mouth" (Lil' Kim -
	The Jump Off)
* Boldest use of a difficult rhyme - "But Louis Vuitton bras all over
	your breasts / Got me wanting to put hickies all over ya chest
	(ah!)" (Ludacris - Stand Up)

The Top 10 brands of 2003

#1 - Mercedes (112 mentions)

Mercedes wins by a massive margin, with more than twice its nearest competitor. Mercedes has been a rap brand of choice for many years. At least as early as 1988's NWA album Straight Outta Compton - "Me and Lorenzo, rollin' in a Benz-o." Mercedes has been a particular favorite with 50 Cent in 2003, mentioned in 4 of his 6 chart hits. And the brand has been in the #1 Billboard song for 13 weeks this year. In the 12th April chart, Mercedes was mentioned in 4 separate songs.

#2 - Lexus (48 mentions)

Lexus jumped into the brand chart in February with R Kelly's Ignition, and shot up the charts to reach #2 by May where it was mentioned in three separate songs in one week. However, by August, when Busta Rhymes left the top 20, nobody else mentioned it. Although it is still at #2, it's under strong threat from other brands.

#3 - Gucci (47 mentions)

Gucci rapidly became the bling-bling fashion brand of choice. It got its frist two references in March and never looked back. The brand was mentioned by everyone from Ginuwine to Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey to Bow Wow to 50 Cent. Now that Tom Ford has left, we'll see whether Gucci keeps up in 2004.

#4 - Cadillac (46 mentions)

As Cadillac the brand found its footing in the real world, it also began to shoot up the American Brandstand chart. It joined the American Brandstand at #37 in April with Lil Kim's Cadillac Escalade in 'The Jump Off', but with the help of Youngbloodz, 50 Cent and Outkast, it's still moving higher at #3. Our favorite Cadillac reference in 2003... "Don't want to meet your daddy / Just want you in my Caddie" (Outkast - Hey Ya)

#5 - Burberry (42 mentions)

Burberry the brand had a very volatile year. Its renewed vigor was reflected with a big boost in the Brandstand chart. Towards the end of the Summer, a story emerged that Burberry was less than happy with its hip-hop association. Then in October, a new story that it was becoming associated as the brand of football hooligans in Europe.

#6 - Prada (39 mentions)

Prada got a name check in 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P' that set it up strongly, but it was then supported in Ginuwine's Hell Yeah, and elsewhere. The general strength and visibility of the brand in looks set to boost it even further in 2004.

#7 - Cristal (37 mentions)

Cristal has been the hip-hop drink of choice for a couple of years, partly based around its bling-bling packaging, but also its scarcity. It fought off increased competition this year - from Hennessy and Bacardi - to end up at #7. Our favorite Cristal reference in 2003... "You can't even drink Crist-OWL / You gotta drink Crist-ALL" (Jay-Z - Excuse Me Miss)

#8 - Hennessy (35 mentions)

The success of Hennessy this year has begun to suggest that passing the Courvoisier might have been short-term success at the expense of longer term overkill. Hennessy, like Mercedes, has been a staple brand of hip-hop lyrics. Set to move higher still in 2004.

#9 - Lamborghini (34 mentions)

Lamborghini managed to make it to #8 in the American Brandstand based on mentioned in two long-lasting chart songs, 'Magic Stick' by Lil' Kim & 50 Cent and 'I Know What You Want' by Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey - where it also scored a very prominent video appearance.

#10 - Chevrolet (33 mentions)

Chevrolet got mentions in two songs this year, I Know What You want by Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey, and Damn! by Youngbloodz

The Top 5 brand-dropping artists of 2003

#1 - 50 Cent (31 different brands)

#2 - Lil' Kim (15 different brands)

#3 - Jay-Z (14 different brands)

#4 - Ginuwine (13 different brands)

#5 - Ludacris (9 brands)

2003

Rank	Brand	Mentions
1	Mercedes	112
2	Lexus	48
3	Gucci	47
4	Cadillac	46
5	Burberry	42
6	Prada	39
7	Cristal	37
8	Hennessy	35
9	Lamborghini	34
10	Chevrolet	33
11	Payless Shoe Source	29
11	Dolce & Gabbana	29
11	Range Rover	29
14	Bentley	28
15	Manolo Blahnik	27
16	Bacardi	26
16	Nike	26
18	Jeep	23
19	Louis Vuitton	22
19	Rover	22
19	Fendi	22
19	K-Mart	22
19	Timberland	22
24	Buick Regal	21
24	Sports Illustrated	21
24	Belvedere Vodka	21
27	Puma	20
27	Maybach	20
29	Honda	18
29	Ramada Inn	18
29	BCBG	18
29	Cartier	18
33	Magnum	16
33	Burger King	16
35	G2	14
35	GMC Yukon	14
37	Snoop Dogg Clothing	12
38	Holiday Inn	11
38	Corona	11
38	BET	11
38	Baby Gap	11
38	Ferrari	11
43	Calvin Klein	10
43	Ice Berg	10
43	Levi Strauss	10
43	Sergio Valente	10
43	Armadale	10
43	Baby Phat	10
49	Kawasaki	9
53	Hummer	9
53	Footlocker	9
53	Hermes	9
53	Polaroid	8
54	Berreta	7
54	Crown	7
54	AK	7
54	AR-15	7
58	Tampax	6
58	Cinnabun	6
60	Three Dots	5
60	Rolls Royce Phantom	5
60	Reebok	5
60	G-Unit	5
60	Sprewell	5
60	BMW	5
60	Remy Martin	5
60	Jacob the Jeweller	5
60	U-Haul	5
60	Purple Label	5
60	Vera Wang	5
60	Rocawear	5
60	Giovanni (rims)	5
73	Bulgari	4
73	Jaguar	4
73	Playboy	4
73	Sprite	4
73	Glock	4
73	Teflon	4
73	Barbie	4
73	Brooklyn Mint	4
81	Hpnotiq	3
82	Energizer	2
83	Cool Whip	1
83	McDonald's	1