Pepsi cool cans promotion, starring Young MC (1989)
Young MC dropped some truly classic ish like: Cool cans are coming so don’t be afraid/ If you get lucky then you might get paid. And To be cool and somewhat respectable/ pick up Pepsi in these hype receptacles. And I’ll bet you don’t remember those Taco Bell commercials… I’m Young MC with a story to tell/ I just got a free cup from Taco Bell. Classic.

Gap peace love Gap campaign, starring Common (2006)
Horrible commercial, but it’s on my favorite list because of its irony.

"I might've failed to mention that this chick was creative/ But once the man got to her he altered her native/ Told her if she got an image and a gimmick/ that she could make money, and she did it like a dummy/ Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle..."
- Common Sense, "I Used to Love H.E.R."

Self-Promotion

In the final analysis, the inherent commercialism in hip hop has created a world in which artists must be as marketable as they are talented. Artists now have to “brand” themselves in order to be commercially successful. Again, some of my favorites:

"Yeahhhh"- Lil Jon
"What!?!" - Lil Jon
"Okay!" - Lil Jon
"We The Best!" - DJ Khaled
"It’s Ya Boy!" - Jay-Z
"O K-K-K" …- Lil Scrappy
"G-g-g-g Unit!" - 50 Cent
"Dipset, Dipset, Dipset…" - The Diplomats
"Crack!" - Fat Joe
"We all we got!" - Nelly

Not only does Hip Hop advertise for corporate America, mainstream hip hop operates like corporate America. And no wonder…now you’re average rapper with a record deal is selling more than just records. “Artists” will continue to peddle alcohol, automobiles, sneakers, technology, vitamin water, and whatever else they can, all in the name of Hip Hop. But Get Your Mind Right: Hip Hop (to those that know) is much more than marketing campaigns and dollar signs.