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Rappers Rhyme About, Have Deals With Alcohol Brands? Art Or Advertising?

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine parsed 793 songs on Billboard Magazine’s top 100 lists from 2005 to 2007 and found that 21.3% of them referred explicitly to alcohol and, of those, 24.3% referred to alcohol by brand.

The brands mentioned most often were Patrón Téquila, Grey Goose Vodka, Hennessy Cognac and Cristal Champagne. The results were released today in the journal Addiction.

“Brand appearances are important to assess because they may function as advertising, whether or not they are paid for or sanctioned by the alcohol industry,” according to the researchers. In 2002, Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy’s hit, “Pass the Courvoisier,” was released. The next year, sales of the cognac jumped 18.9% and Courvoisier’s parent company, France’s Allied Domecq, struck a promotional deal with Busta and P. Diddy’s management company, Violator, according to the study.

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In 2002, Jay-Z purchased a large stake in, and became the face of, Armadale Vodka, featuring it in the video and lyrics of the song “All I Need.” In 2008, Snoop Dogg became the face of Landy Cognac, featuring it in his single “Luv Drunk.” In 2010, 50 Cent and Tony Yayo collaborated on the single, “Pass the Patrón .”

Read the whole story at The Toronto Star »

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