Forget about the bling, Big Macs are where the money’s at

The Sugar Hill Gang started it back in the late 1970s when they chanted "hotel, motel, Holiday Inn" in their hit "Rapper's Delight".

A quarter of a century later, rappers are still name-checking brands from Cristal champagne to Jello in their music - and the practice is proving to be lucrative.

The fast-food giant McDonald's is the latest firm to ride the hip-hop bandwagon, reportedly offering rappers up to US$5 ($7) for every time a song mentioning the Big Mac is played on radio.

According to US magazine Advertising Age, McDonald's has hired the marketing experts Maven Strategies to encourage artists to write lyrics referring to the Big Mac, although the firm will retain final approval to ensure the burger is mentioned "in an appropriate setting".

The strategy ties in with McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" campaign.

Maven last year succeeded in persuading five hip-hop artists, including Kanye West and Petey Pablo, to mention Seagram gin in songs.

Maven's president and chief executive Tony Rome told Advertising Age: "The risk involved for upfront payment is eliminated. If an artist doesn't deliver, there's no out-of-pocket cost to the client. You pay for performance."

References to drinks, cars and sportswear are an established part of hip-hop culture, but some in the music industry have expressed concern at the cynicism of McDonald's attempt to gain credibility with young people.

But the decision to base payments on the amount of airplay, which minimises the risk for McDonald's while placing the onus on the artist to come up with a hit single, has provoked anger.

Tim Burrowes, the editor of Mediaweek, said: "It's a good strategy for McDonald's, but what does it do for the credibility of the artist, when their fans discover they're being paid to talk about it?"

Busta Rhymes and P-Diddy proved how effective name checking can be with their 2002 hit "Pass the Courvoisier", which gave the cognac a huge sales boost.

And Courvoisier is not the only expensive tipple to benefit from incorporation in rap lyrics; Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke liked Scotland's Armadale vodka so much they sang about it and bought the brand from the distillers William Grant and Sons.

According to the website Americanbrandstand.com, Cadillac received the most mentions in hip-hop in 2004, followed by Hennessey, Mercedes, Rolls Royce and Gucci.

Product placement is not a new concept in rap music. In 1986, Run DMC got US$1.5 million for endorsing shoes in their song "My Adidas", while MC Hammer promoted KFC and Taco Bell in the 1990s.

Manchester rap group Raw-T have pre-empted McDonald's with their song "Where We Live", which includes the line "I pack a big Mac".

Whether they will be rewarded, or whether they're just referring to a coat, remains to be seen.

- INDEPENDENT