Pepsi Cans Ludacris After O'Reilly Broadcast FNC Wednesday, August 28, 2002 Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Channel's host of The O'Reilly Factor, publicly blasted Pepsi on Tuesday on both his radio and television shows for hiring Ludacris, a controversial rapper, as a spokesperson for the company. O'Reilly recited the artist's lyrics and claimed that Ludacris rapped about intoxication and degraded women with his words. He threatened that he would drink Coca-Cola, Pepsi's rival company, instead, because of his disapproval. O'Reilly believes that the company was irresponsible for hiring a "thug" to represent their product. Less than a day later, Pepsi-Cola issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the company was immediately pulling the advertisement that was supposed to run during the MTV Video Music Awards featuring the controversial artist. The press statement reads: "We have a responsibility to listen to our customers -- and we've heard from a number of people that they were uncomfortable with our association with this artist. "We've decided to discontinue our ad campaign with the artist, and we're sorry that we've offended anyone. "There are many different types of talented celebrities and artists, but not all of them are compatible with our brands and what consumers have come to expect from us."
Don't they mean our customer. I think O'reilly is the only person in America that drinks that nasty crap...
Yet another blow to the posters around here that claim we are "in the middle of the hip-hop culture". Far from it.
If those were O'Reilly's reasons, then I guess he'll oppose almost any rapper who endorses a product. Are there any rappers out there who don't have lyrics about booze or biotches? Christian rappers I guess. Oh! and Cee-lo Brown, kind of... oh and of course Will Smith...and I guess LL Cool J too... but that's about is.
On one hand, Bill O'Reilly gets to pat himself on the back: "look what I did." On the other hand, someone was gonna do this. Hiring Ludacris? Wasn't Janet available? Oh, wait, Britney and Janet both on Pepsi, especially after Janet scrogged Britney's ex-flame. Tsk, tsk. Nope, no Janet for Pepsi. Those white people over at Pepsi are trying too hard. 1st exec: "How can we get Negro--er, blac--er, African-Americans to drink Pepsi? They won't even try our product!" 2nd exec: "Let's hire Ludacris!" 1st exec: "Luda-who? Oh, that guy? Hey, don't be (pauses) 'ludicrous.'" (hearty white-guy chuckles around the boardroom table) 2nd exec: (taking swig of Coke) "Gosh, Jasper, I just don't know. Maybe if we came out with something the African-American audience would appreciate." (dim lightbulb appears over head) "I know. Orange-flavored Pepsi! And strawberry-flavored Pepsi! I heard about this movie, 'Undercover Brother.' Apparently African-Americans love fruit-flavored soft drinks. How about it?" 1st exec: "Golly, Don. Pepsi Orange? That doesn't sound very good! It sounds, well, like s**t, to be honest." 2nd exec: "Worse than our regular Pepsi?" 1st exec: (after long pause) "Good point."
I don't think Walt Williams raps about those things I even have a good tag for it. Walt: "After a hard game of not draining a single bucket, I like to ease into the locker room and drain an ice cold Pepsi Cola." "It just hits the spot before I move on to my next job..." Scene changes to a music studio with our esteemed hero dressed in his best rap attire. Here "The Wizard" begins to rap about the wonderful virtues of Pepsi.... At the end of the rap we cut to Britney Spears who, in her besy Hip-hop mode, sings "For those who think young." CK
I like O'Reilly, but he went too far this time. Gimme a freakin' break! Ludacris is about a 1 out of 10 on the controversial rapper scale.
Move, b**** get out the way get out the way get out the way Move, b**** get out the way get out the way get out the way .......Sorry, I just felt like bouncin to the beat of a Ludacris song. Damn. Now my neck hurts again. If they start playing BustaRhymes on the radio, I'm screwed.
Does O'Reilly know the University Coop paid for and the University of Texas allowed Ludacris and I think Khia to give a concert on the South Mall? He sang unedited versions too.
Good for him and nice to see big business being responsible for a change, you don't reward thugish behaviour. DD
Since this pepsi thing isn't working out there's always Mr. Bling 70 Diamonds, the grill endorsed and worn by Ludacris. "Be like me, wear Mr. Bling grills"-Ludacris
Yeah, which is why they've hired other black, hip hop and urban artists over the years to promote themselves. I'm guessing that the vast majority of people who called in after Riley's broadcasts were not young or urban. There is a hip hop culture and it dominates they youth market in entertainment and fashion, which both influence decisions by companies like Pepsi. Maybe that culture doesn't exist in the suburbs or in middle America, but watch MTV or even a pro sporting event. Pick up a copy of a fashion magazine or read the billboard charts. The influence of this culture is no less significant than the alt.rock influence was in the early 90's or the Miami Vice/New Wave influence in the 80's or the flower child influence in the 70's. In fact, the hip hop culture is actually starting to get stale because it is making it's way into the big industries like movie making and soft drink sales. Whenever that happens, the days of a particular trend are numbered. It's all a cycle and things come and go, but to discount a singular phenomena of American culture just because of a Bill Riely show and a cancelled Pepsi commerical is, well, Ludacris. Roll out...
By the way, this isn't any big deal. It is no different than the PMRC or only showing Elvis from the waist UP or Wal Mart pulling records they don't like or Dan Quayle complaining about Ice T. This happens in every generation with every music of the time. Pepsi should do what it wants. I'm sure Ludacris is still getting paid and it isn't like this is going to kill his record sales or diminish his influence. Just as some couldn't understand why Bruce Springsteen wouldn't allow Born in the USA (basically a war protest song) to be played at the GOP National Convention when they introduced Reagen, Tipper Gore wanted records banned from the shelves. It will never change.
Rimbaud -- No need for the racial slurs. I would hope you're above that. Jeff -- We've had this debate before so I'll make this short. Fashion and entertainment alone do not define a culture. Furthermore, for every hip-hop influenced ad I see on tv, there are 10x as many non-hip hop ads. Oh and by the way, I'm young, live in an urban area, and support O'Reilly.
ROXTXIA, that was one of the funniest things I have ever read. The funniest thing is that it sounds so plausible. I had no trouble imagining a board meeting going down exactly like that.
