Advertising

Exploitation of Rappers

Designer brands have been exploiting rappers and been using them as free advertising for their brands as it brings in huge amounts of press. Rappers are essentially walking commercials for these brands as they parade around the streets, music videos, and events wearing designer, and most of them do not get paid a cent for wearing designer clothing. They are giving free promotions and essentially bringing in millions of dollars for these industries. These rappers also reference these brands in their songs which go viral and bring in a large amount of press.

Real life examples

Above I have attached a perfect example of the free advertising that rappers provide for designer brands. This is the music video for hit song "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump which has now reached above 840 million views, showing how impactful these artists are. He ultimately just flaunts around in Gucci and other designer while rapping the song. As for Gucci, they have profited immensely from the infatuation that Pump has for them, as many of his fans have purchased Gucci in order to dress and be like him, as he is only 18 years old. (WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT)

Above is another attached example of the free marketing that rappers give to designer brands. This is hit song "RAF" by A$AP Rocky, Quavo, and Frank Ocean, all big names in the rap and music industry. In this music video, A$AP Mob (a group of rappers) essentially puts on a fashion show creating huge amounts of press for these designer brands that they are wearing, and also mention them in the song. This video has around 13 million views on youtube, which is an astounding amount of support, showing how far this can spread. (WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT)

Song Lyrics

.A lot of the advertising comes in the form of song lyrics, as there are millions of rap songs that centralize and reference designer in their lyrics. Below are some of the most famous lyrics and songs:

"Gucci Gang, Gucci Gang, Gucci Gang, Gucci Gang. Spent ten racks on new chains" - Gucci Gang - Lil Pump

"Versace, Versace, Medusa head on me like I'm 'luminati" - Versace - Migos

"My hat, my shoes, my coat Louis Vuitton stitch with Donatella Versace, that's Louis Vuitton's b****" - The Glory - Kanye West

"Sold out dates, cash everyday, I bought you Hermes, I love that blue race" - Sold Out Dates- Lil Baby and Gunna

"Bought a Kris Van Assche, Alessandro Gucci glasses, J.w. Anderson collab" - Raf Simmons- A$AP Mob

" I just f****d your b**** in some Gucci flip flops" - Thought It Was A Drought - Future

"I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks, I like going to the jeweler, I put rocks all in my watch"

- I Like It - Cardi B

"Closet full of brand new clothes and hand bags, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, D&G, BCBG, Versace, Louis and BeBe" - Fancy - Drake and T.I

"She got a lotta Prada, that Dolce & Gabbana, I can't forget Escada, and that Balenciaga" - Fashion Killa - A$AP Rocky

"I don't pop molly, I rock Tom Ford"

- Tom Ford - Jay Z

"Cash through the month, I get a check, Yves Saint Laurent on my pants and my chest" - Yosemite -Travis Scott

These lyrics above are just some of the examples of songs that contain lyrics about designer brands and clothing. As you can see the list of people that are rapping these songs are well known music icons such as Kanye West, Jay Z, Drake, and Travis Scott. You also have the new wave of rappers who are taking on after their predecessors such as Lil Baby, Gunna, and Lil Pump who are relatively new rappers who implement the same style. These songs have all been listened to by millions of people across the United States showing the widespread range of people. This advertising essentially is hitting millions of ears as to the point where people can hear a designer brand, and associate it with a song that they have heard. Overall, these songs are just a select few out of millions that freely advertise designer clothing.

This final video above, is essentially the same free marketing that designer brands have gained from rappers. In this video, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna, two very well known icons in the music world, parade around walking into different designer stores, trying on the clothes, while A$AP Rocky raps about being a "Fashion Killa" name dropping multiple different labels. This video has around 54 million plays on youtube showing again how these videos can spread and have a profound impact on style, and also influence many young Americans. (WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT)