St.-Ides Commercials

The Notorious B.I.G. – St. Ides Commercial

I’ll save the social commentary to green eyes or to eskay’s journalistic integrity, but it’s incredible how in the reckless 90’s when hip-hop and rap went from being something socially good to being portrayed as something socially threatening, one thing brought all these people together. Booze. These guys were at the forefront of some of the greatest music, scandals and news of the 1990’s, all they would do was tear each other down or at least making big enough threats to, yet here they have one great thing in common, aside from fitting a description, they all endorse the same malt liquor. Besides the greats you see up there, like Biggie, 2Pac, Dre, Snoop, Wu-Tang, Cube, King Tee… there were also Eric B. and Rakim, EPMD, Erick Sermon & The Geto Boys. Aside from people simply mentioning it in their music, like Luniz, Bone Thugs & Harmony, Afroman, The Roots, people like Ice Cube clearly stated no to drink 8 Ball (Olde English 800), because St. Ides payed better. That reminds me of that scene in Pootie Tang where Corporate America is trying to sell Malt Liquor to children through rap music, but I think the best parody of St. Ides is in Don’t Be a Menace, when they call the beverage St. Dies. Either or, it’s poison, and it’s a shame that such strong male figures were suckers for dollars and they were motivating their fans to go out and buy that garbage. With Ice Cube’s line, came other instances which could have very well started this trend of product placement, otherwise known as the commercialization of music. Rappers and other hip hop icons became trends instead of sparking the mind. Followed by the bling bling era, which was nothing more than a dope beat, so-so rhymes, and a music video, filled with images to brainwash the mind. Besides telling people how much money you had, you had to tell them what products you had too, not that you actually purchased those products, as they were probably given to you by the same guy jamming money down your throat.

It wasn’t simply a beverage making a smart business move, like Coca-Cola or Pepsi finding spokespeople, because they’d only ask one or two rappers to endorse it instead of saturating every dimension of the market, they literally sought after the greats, the role models of that era to get customers. Not that it wasn’t a smart business move, but when you have that much power in your hands, you’re making a big dent in society, especially when it comes to alcohol. People have always known of the effects of alcohol, it has made people billions of dollars, but it has struck the weakest of people at the same time. And hip hop music wasn’t at that prestigious Cristal level when these ads were out, hip hop was weaker, made for the people at the bottom and it clearly reflected its listeners, and some of those people were seriously drinking to forget the hassles of everyday life.

But back to the business side of it all, they weren’t targeting a fraction of the market, they were targeting a whole subculture. Think about it, regardless of where you lived, East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South or who you listened to, they had that market covered with your musical idols. It wouldn’t be half as bad if any other kind of product would have a choke hold monopoly of the market like this, but in this case, when it comes to something like alcohol, it’s definitely going to have an effect on the people. especially with blanket marketing tactics like this, you’re definitely reaching a whole population, but also severely slowing them down.

What is a spokesperson, someone that speaks to the people, in a way that these tall Isrealis cannot. Think about it, there’s a difference between drinking to take the edge off, and glorifying getting throwed and not doing anything all day long, sitting there, convincing yourself you ain’t shit. Always consider who would profit from any situation, financially and absolutely from dumbing and calming down an uproar that was the 1990’s Cop Killing, Gang Banging, Police Fucking (pause), Power Fighting youth, sub-culture or counter-culture of revolutionaries, who were children of revolutionaries.

Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg – St. Ides Commercial

Tupac Shakur & Snoop Doggy Dogg – St. Ides Commercial

Ice Cube – St. Ides Commercial

King Tee have you seen him? - St. Ides Commercial

BONUS: Wu-Tang Clan – Rare St. Ides Commercial (from the beginning of Spotrusherz)

Don’t even get me started on this horrid Vince Carter/Joe Budden Nike ad…