• by Danielle Oster , October 12, 2023

To honor the 50th anniversary of hip hop, Mars’ 5 gum is dropping a new J.I.D. song paying homage to 5 of the genre’s most influential albums through its “5 In A Lifetime” campaign. But not everyone will get a chance to hear it. The brand says it’s making the debut track available only to five fans.

“As someone who eats, sleeps and breathes music, there is absolutely nothing like hearing a deep and meaningful song for the very first time – it's an experience you never get back and is pivotal for music lovers like myself,” J.I.D. said in a statement. “

Fans interested in hearing the song -- which was inspired by and references Common’s “Resurrection,” “Word of Mouf” by Ludacris, What’s the 411?” by Mary J. Blige, “Phrenology” by The Roots, and Timbaland’s “Shock Value” -- can enter 5’s sweepstakes through Oct. 31 at https://www.5gum.com/JID

Five winners will receive one of five retro boomboxes containing a tape with the song. But there’s yet another twist: 5 claims the tape will “self-destruct” after five plays. The retro-future-looking boomboxes are made from “up-cycled" old school boomboxes and feature a transparent casing, vintage analog counter, and lucite-embedded volume knobs containing “a piece of Peppermint Cobalt 5 gum chewed by J.I.D at its center” (Which, honestly, is a little gross? Who wants to look at a piece of chewed gum every time they adjust the volume?)

"Hearing new music from one of your favorite artists for the first time is often an inspiring, sensorial and exhilarating moment -- which is exactly the experience we hope to deliver through our "5 in a Lifetime" campaign," Mars Wrigley Vice President Maria Urista said in a release.

The brand is also honoring the 50th anniversary of hip hop with a $20,000 donation, along with one of its analog boomboxes, to The Hip Hop Museum in Washington, D.C.