Warning: Google Chrome’s latest campaign might “Break Ya Neck.”
That’s because the browser has partnered with the legendary purveyor of some of hip-hop’s fastest flows, Busta Rhymes, alongside fellow rapper, Lil Yachty, and McLaren F1 racing driver, Lando Norris, for a high-octane music video showing how Chrome satisfies the need for speed.
In the two minute-long “Chrome Speed Challenge,” produced by ATTN’s Creative Shop, Norris calls on Yachty to see if he can come up with a rap that matches the speed of the browser and the McLaren racing car.
“Chrome wants to know if we’re as fast as they are,” says Norris, prompting Yachty and his team to use the browser to search for the racer’s top speed and a rap collaborator quick enough to bring them to the finish line.
As his longtime collaborator, Earl on the Beat, performs some musical wizardry by synchronizing the miles per hour (MPH) of Norris’ driving against the track’s beats per minute (BPM), the “Coffin” rapper uses his search results to conjure one of the fastest rappers alive: Rhymes.
With the legendary lyricist on board, the duo moves at a breakneck pace to find the perfect verse and flow to complement the speed of the car, the browser and each other.
The artists will encourage fans to create and share their own raps on TikTok using the hashtag #ChromeSpeedChallenge, with Yachty also promoting the campaign on his Instagram and YouTube channels. The video will run throughout July.
Last year, Google became an official partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. The partnership gives the brand visibility to the sport’s global audience of over 445 million viewers, while incorporating Google’s technology in races (McLaren’s pit crew exclusively uses the Chrome browser and Fitbit devices to monitor the drivers’ heart and breathing rate along with their overall health and wellbeing).
“The Chrome Speed Challenge brings to life the joyful power of speed in sport and entertainment through our McLaren partnership, and the dynamic lyrical duo of Lil Yachty and Busta Rhymes,” said Adrienne Lofton, global vp of integrated consumer marketing at Google. “As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary this summer, I’m particularly excited to invite music fans to create their own fast rap standing side by side with the best in the game.”
A hip hop legend in the driver’s seat
Google has already marked hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with a recent activation at New York’s Governor’s Ball music festival, in which fans could view curated pieces from different decades, recreate classic album covers and sit on a throne made of boomboxes. But getting one of the genre’s most iconic artists supercharged the celebrations–and Rhymes was happy to get the call.
“I thought the campaign idea was brilliant and it aligned with my brand,” Rhymes told Adweek, noting it was his first Google campaign (“It will not be my last!” he joked).
He’d also been looking forward to working with Yachty since reconnecting recently at Pharrell Williams’ “Something in the Water” festival.
True to (fast) form, Rhymes—a racing fan who once had aspirations to join the sport before his music career took off—told Adweek that once Google shared its creative vision, he recorded his verse in 20 minutes, making only a few edits to align more closely with the brand.
No stranger to using his gift to amplify a brand, Rhymes has previously flexed his tongue-twisting skills alongside Peter Dinklage in a Mountain Dew and Doritos Super Bowl commercial that matched them up against Morgan Freeman and Missy Elliot. But the significance and serendipity of timing for this campaign hit different, with the artist having a banner year with a much talked about Grammy performance, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award honor, the release of new music and an upcoming tour.
“I don’t believe in coincidence at all,” he said. “A lot of what is happening is divine timing and hard work.”
Still, he does agree that his career, which spans over three decades, has reached a new gear (pun intended), and credits his “unwavering faith” for persevering and being able to share the moment with younger artists such as Lil Yachty.
“I’m now able to apply all the years of learning in a very comprehensive way. For me this is what it looks like to kick into a new gear,” he said. “Now I have an expertise that people can distinguish, notice and will continue to witness. I’m applying my best self.”
Rhymes added that one of his biggest motivations with the Chrome campaign was thinking about his fans’ reactions to the finished product.
“Verses like mine evoke intense, high energy for me and fans. So, any adrenaline that I feel comes from the way people are reacting and from their excitement around these fast verses that can be difficult for them to do.”
