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Mountain Dew's problems with cultural sensitivity this week culminated with the spot today, after suffering similar marketing damage when the family of Emmett Till during the last several days denounced the brand's sponsorship of rap artist Lil' Wayne. The rapper negatively references Till—an African American who was brutally murdered during 1955 in Mississippi after allegedy harrassing a white woman—in his "Karate Chop (Remix)" tune. What's more, both developments come on the heels of Reebok, an Adidas property, firing hip-hop artist Rick Ross for describing what seems to be a date-rape scenario in his lyrics.
It appears obvious that some brands desperately want to tap young urbanites while signing up their edgiest musical heroes, such as Lil' Wayne, Ross and Tyler, the Creator—who produced Mountain Dew's spot.
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