Marketing, authenticity, branding, common, hip hop, krs, parties, q-tip, smirnoff

Hip Hop: Now Owned By Smirnoff

Last night at a club called Element, on Houston Street, a line formed in the rain. Everyone in line was on the list for a free Smirnoff-sponsored concert featuring Common, Q-Tip, and KRS-ONE. The fact that everyone was on the list made them that much more put off that the doors opened 45 minutes late. "I'm with Diageo," moaned one girl. "I don't do lines."

Inside, brand name hip hop DJs spun 90s classics, and signature Smirnoff cocktails were served. Once the show started, it became clear that Smirnoff had paid a great deal of money for the famous MCs to shout out Smirnoff as many times as possible. The mic was even adorned with a huge, shiny Smirnoff logo that made Q-Tip look like he was wearing a four-finger ring.

Common freestyled, and shouted out Smirnoff. Sway, the MTV host, gave a convoluted disquisition explaining how KRS convinced him that working for MTV was not selling out. Then KRS, one of the most respected MCs of all time, did a set, interspersed with more long explanations about how Smirnoff had an integral connection to hip hop culture, and how the night was a cultural, not corporate, event. KRS is a great rapper, but his politics are straight out of an empty Smirnoff bottle. He eventually ran into the crowd and freestyled, which was very cool.

At the end of the night, they handed out free bottles of water, rather than Smirnoff. Smirnoff is poison.

11:17 AM on Wed Feb 27 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
2,467 views
20 comments

Comments

BettyCrocker at 11:23 AM on 02/27/08
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Smirnoff = instant blinding migraine headache, up with a twist of lime.
collegecallgirl at 11:23 AM on 02/27/08
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I don't do lines, either. Only bumps.
flipper baby at 11:25 AM on 02/27/08
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Pffft, Sticky Fingaz was freestylin' about Stoli last night. And he managed to work in a line about whether or not I had any change!
VirusWithShoes at 11:26 AM on 02/27/08
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I do circles. Sweet, round circles.
TheHonJudgeSmails at 11:27 AM on 02/27/08
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Smirnoff appears in this post about 13 times. Just sayin'.
TheHonJudgeSmails at 11:27 AM on 02/27/08
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@flipper baby: Did he bust in his pants?
raincoaster at 11:34 AM on 02/27/08
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It's no Tea Partay. Now THAT was the shizznit.
flipper baby at 11:35 AM on 02/27/08
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@TheHonJudgeSmails: No, thank heaven, I gave him "the microphone" before that could happen.
riskybusiness at 11:38 AM on 02/27/08
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This still doesn't come close to the St. Ides commercials, or NWA's 8 ball, or the beastie's Brass Monkey.

Damn I'm thirsty.
IndianSlipper at 11:47 AM on 02/27/08
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I need a 4 finger ring! Only to cover up the J A K E tattoo on my right hand.
DorothyZbornak at 11:48 AM on 02/27/08
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I was blinded by their Smirnoff Ice.
hypocriteoath at 11:57 AM on 02/27/08
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@collegecallgirl: you and diageo need to learn how to party like grown folk.
boozecruiser at 12:07 PM on 02/27/08
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"open vodka bar" my three favorite, consecutive words in the English langauge. Which is later followed by a few more words - "Who the hell is Mark and why is HE in my bed, naked?"
jaydot at 12:12 PM on 02/27/08
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dotorg greg at 12:19 PM on 02/27/08
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@IndianSlipper: no way! I have J A K E on my right hand, and G Y L E on my left. At the time, I was sure it'd fit. And that I'd spelled it right.
TateCajunWilliams at 12:43 PM on 02/27/08
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Ah, when I used to drink they called the stuff...."Smart'n Off" --- Tate "Cajun" Williams
hypocriteoath at 01:08 PM on 02/27/08
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@dotorg greg: where is the NHALL?
MrBeemis at 01:51 PM on 02/27/08
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What, no 4 a.m. shootings?
Tubs Mcgee at 06:03 PM on 02/27/08
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"Tea Partay"

+ Watch video

And this, of course, would be the next logical step...
wantstobeyou at 08:12 AM on 02/28/08
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it's interesting how artists before were making music backed by a major corporation (universal, sony, emi, etc.) and not getting paid a good amount for their music and as per gawker, the artists is gettin' PAID for their music and it's looked at like a bad thing?!?! Amazing... I love KRS-One, and if he's promoting responsible drinking by name-dropping Smirnoff then so be it. Doesn't take away from his music and his legend. Plus Nike and Hennesy get named dropped in songs all the time... and thats in songs!!! I listened to the first 2 songs on the smirnoff site and not once do they mention smirnoff or gives them a shoutout. Now that I can stand by.