No Mc Rap

Olski

McDonald's takes the rap Before trying to get the hip-hop elite on board, McDonald's should have realised that fast food isn't cool Mark BorkowskiWednesday October 5, 2005 The marketing boys at McDonald's must have been lovin' it when they came up with what must have seemed to them like a great PR stunt back in March.As part of their ongoing strategy to fatten up young people - no, sorry, that's not true at all - as part of their ongoing strategy to increase their profits from young people, they came up with the brilliant idea of getting rappers to promote their burgers. Not in ads, you understand, but actually in their songs. Hard to believe, I know, but that's what they had in mind.And they were willing to pay for it. In a twist on the kind of product placement now commonplace in movies, they were hoping that some of hip-hop's finest might be persuaded to mention the Big Mac in their rhymes. In return, they said, they would pay them up to $5 (??2.84) for every time it was played on the radio.That was last March. So it's no surprise to find that, six months later, the charts have yet to be filled with the sound of Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg extolling the virtues of greasy fried food. While some rappers may be more than happy to name-check Bentley, Gucci and the fine range of weaponry made by Heckler & Koch in exchange for a discount on an armour-plated limousine, some shiny new bling and a fully loaded semi-automatic, they're not so keen to endorse greasy fried food from a white multinational corporation.McDonald's finally admitted this week that they have not had to pay out one red cent, let alone 50, to rappers in exchange for a tribute to the Big Mac."We have not identified the right opportunity, muthafucka," said a spokesman (apart from the last bit, obviously), adding: "We have not yet identified the match that we've been looking for."Nor, they confessed, have they yet launched their new range of "hip street-wear uniforms" designed "with input from" such raptastic names as Russell Simmons' Phat Farm, Sean "P Diddy" Combs' Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, Fubu and American Apparel. In short, the marriage of white corporation and black street culture has dissolved before it was consummated.Because it was never a great PR stunt. It was based on the idea that it would give McDonald's some credibility among the youth market. But, being a predominantly white, suit-and-tie kind of corporation, they forgot to look at it from the rapper's point of view. They forgot that it's not cool for a rapper, whose career depends on "keeping it real" to sell his soul to a white multinational corporation. Even if it is their preferred breakfast, lunch and dinner of choice (and I'm reliably informed that the average US rapper keeps it real by maintaining a strict fast-food diet - particularly in the case of the late, great and self-evidently fat Notorious BIG).So while it got them a lot of publicity at the time, it was a bad idea because they were never going to be able to follow through. And it doesn't help that Mac rhymes with "whack" (which, as anyone remotely familiar with the lexicon of rap will tell you, means "crap"). Oh yes, and "heart attack".?? To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email]editor@mediaguardian.co.uk[/email] or phone 020 7239 9857

residentgiant

McDonalds....rock, rock on

noz

"We have not identified the right opportunity, muthafucka," said a spokesman (apart from the last bit, obviously)

i don't know what's worse, mcdonalds failed marketing attempts or this joke.

CousinLarry

"We have not identified the right opportunity, muthafucka," said a spokesman (apart from the last bit, obviously)

i don't know what's worse, mcdonalds failed marketing attempts or this joke.

What about this one

(and I'm reliably informed that the average US rapper keeps it real by maintaining a strict fast-food diet - particularly in the case of the late, great and self-evidently fat Notorious BIG).

noz

RAPPERS ARE FAT AND SAY MOTHERFUCKER WITH AN 'A' INSTEAD OF AN 'ER'! HILLARIOUS!

DjArcadian

I think it has less to do with the suit-and-tie corporate image and more to do with the fact that McDonalds is viewed as cheap food. MC's don't want to extrude the virtues of value meals. They want to rap about expensive lobster dinners, expensive cars, clothes, etc. It would be the same as if someone started rapping about Wal-Mart.

Of course this from a company whose marketing division came up with...







Maybe if they wanted to appeal to the African American market that might want to actually, you know, get some young black people in their marketing department? Of course any half-brain dead kid who watches MTV could have told you these ideas would never fly.

Maybe we should campaign for Ghostface Killah or Biz Markie to make a song about fucking Big Macs thus incorporating two McDonalds ad campaigns into one.

soulmarcosa

As a vegan I hate McDonald's and their whole product placement campaign. On top of that, this article is on so many levels I don't know where to begin. Well maybe we can start with the bad jokes mentioned above, and also here:

"with input from" such raptastic names as Russell Simmons' Phat Farm

Isn't Russell Simmons vegetarian?

it's not cool for a rapper, whose career depends on "keeping it real" to sell his soul to a white multinational corporation.

Unless it's a record label or a shoe company?

Is ANYBODY keeping things real in this whole scenario?

McDonalds?
The article author?
Major label rappers?
Me?
Bueller?

verb606

"with input from" such raptastic names as Russell Simmons' Phat Farm

Isn't Russell Simmons vegetarian?

it's not cool for a rapper, whose career depends on "keeping it real" to sell his soul to a white multinational corporation.

Unless it's a record label or a shoe company?

Is ANYBODY keeping things real in this whole scenario?

Yeah, that quote is pretty funny. of course rappers and white corporations go together. You telling me that Columbia Records is black-owned? Every platinum rapper works for a "white corporation." McDonald's is some herb shit, that's why nobody's shouting them out. Rappers are trying to eat filet mignon with Cristal, not Big Macs.


i'm more offended that companies are thinking that this is a viable strategy. Mcdonald's won't be the last company to try to get rappers to shout them out in songs. Sure, commercial rap is a product in and of itself, but does it have to be an advertising platform, too? Can't people have one place where they aren't being marketed to?


and one more thing. "Raptastic??" was that an actual quote or was the dude bullshitting?


the whole shit is

alieNDN

Y'all act like Burger King didn't do this with Ice Cube on "A B#$@ is a B$#@"

DOR

Y'all act like Burger King didn't do this with Ice Cube on "A B#$@ is a B$#@"

alieNDN

Y'all act like Burger King didn't do this with Ice Cube on "A B#$@ is a B$#@"

its crazy how close ronald MC donald's colour scheme matches burger king's logo...

DOR

That fucking Burger King out in the woods is damn creepy... When I see the doods face on pics in the windows I don't walk by!


This is kinda funny tho