Obey Your Thirst (1996) | Coke and Sprite Embrace Hip Hop

Here are three groundbreaking TV ads developed through Steve Stoute's marketing firm, Translation, that ran extensively on TV in 1996. The first places MC Shan and KRS-1 in a boxing ring (announcer is Kid Capri, Red Alert is behind Kris. Marley Marl is Shan's corner man), connecting one of hip hop's earlest "Beefs" on wax with lemon-lime flavored carbonated water. Second, generational intersectionality occurs when father and son both enjoy their favorite pop while listening to versions of "You're all I need To Get By," by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell and Method Man & Mary J. Blige (respectively). Finally, singer/actor Tyrese Gibson was introduces to the world as the young man who captures everyone's attention (and a woman's heart) when he makes his entrance on a downtown bus. Stoute's 2011 book, The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy, is a must-read for further understanding of how street culture became corporate culture and how the acceptance of Black music through visual media helped create the landscape that permitted the first Black President in the USA. Shared for historical purposes. I do not own the rights.

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