Public Relations is a component that is applicable to a wide range of businesses, or any other entity that requires media or public exposure in some way. However, some PR tactics are so well executed, that many outside of the ‘out-group’ may follow suit with exactly what PR practitioners had in mind when producing their respected campaigns. By now I suppose you’re wondering exactly what campaigns I’m alluding to. Well look no further than the hip-hop industry, and the way the artists are packaged for mass consumption. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that a majority of rappers’ personas are exaggerated, depicting wild lifestyles riddled with fame, fortune, violence, and drugs. When in retrospect, these tales of taboo are really utilized as marketing tools, capturing the attention of a worldwide audience.
Now the relationship between PR and rappers is undeniable, money hungry record executives understand the correlation between selling records and ‘street cred’. Thus publicizing their artists’ wild lifestyles and constructing an image or brand. Executives keep trying these tactics, and mix and match attributes until they find the winning formula. By choosing to exploit certain events in their artists’ past, while steering attention away from other events, they consciously build an image that could translate into record sales. Don’t believe me? Well here is a breakdown of some of the personas hip-hop has to offer:
1. The Drug Dealer: this category of rappers is the one I find most amusing. While certain rappers such as Jay-Z and others admit to participating in the selling of illegal substances in their past, some rappers insist on talking about drug trafficking as a current stream for income. Atlanta rapper, Young Jeezy, has made a career through telling audiences tales of his ‘dark past’, and even became a Grammy Award winning artist. A large group of rappers find themselves in this category, since selling drugs has been a winning formula in hip-hop since the industry first hit the mainstream, executives know that utilizing this image will create a buzz, and give their client credibility.
2. The Pimp: from Slick Rick to Too Short, audiences around the world now know that “pimping ain’t easy”. Misogyny and rap go together like peanut butter and jelly, so it wasn’t really a surprise that executives began using pimps as a part of their formula to success. The rappers in this category boast about sexual escapades, and the control they have over certain women, appealing to hip-hop’s prime demographic of young adult and teenage males.
3. Living the Life: if one were to view the music videos of these rappers, one would conclude that they are pretty wealthy. From “making it rain” in the club, to flying on private G4s, these videos depict the artists as all living flashy lifestyles; lifestyles that the average joe could only dream of. But are the depictions accurate? Not entirely, an elite group of artists enjoy the finer things in life, while others are caught up in record deals that grant record executives more cash incentives than the artists. Although they are still making good money, the idea that these individuals live such flashy lives is exaggerated and in some cases a facade. However the image they are constructing is a winning formula and circles back to the idea that the ‘average joe’ couldn’t even imagine these riches, while playing off our innate desire to acquire wealth as both Western capitalists and human-beings.
4. Thugs and Gangs: through establishing artists as gangsters leads to automatic street credibility, and is by far the most popular formula used by artists and executives. Before Shady Records/Aftermath released 50 Cent’s debut album, “Get Rich or Die Trying”, every hip-hop fan worldwide knew that the NY native had been shot 9 times prior to his rise in popularity. Do you think that information was leaked to the public by accident? No way! Before LA native, The Game, exploded onto the mainstream scene, fans were aware of his affiliation with Los Angeles gangs and his own personal misfortunes as a result of violence. Both of these artists are prime examples of building an artists image via violence and gang activity and both have enjoyed great levels of success as a result. 50 Cent has gone platinum multiple times on multiple albums, and is estimated to be worth $500-700 million according to a Forbes article.
5. Conflict: People love conflict and drama, which is why this is an obvious formula for marketing purposes. Which is why when two high profile artists settle their differences on their albums, it leads to more sales. From Tupac and Biggie, to East side vs West side, executives sat back and watched their artist albums fly off the shelves and didn’t have to spend money on promotion since the conflict was doing the work for them.
Each formula reflects a certain aspect of living in an urban environment, which legitimizes the artists’ participation in an art form that was born in that very same urban environment. PR and branding play an essential role to rappers for these very reasons, and allows audiences who may not be exposed to such environments get a glimpse into the lives of those that have. Hence the importance of going beyond the music, and utilizing PR tactics to establish a certain image that’s desirable to the masses.
