From Dr. Dre to Biz Markie, (Commercial) America Loves Hip-Hop [Video]

Hip-hop and corporate America have always had an uneasy alliance (you think Gucci and Louis Vitton aren't delighted at all the free ads they get from rappers?), but in recent months we're seen an explosion of hip-hop related commercials permeating the airwaves. It could be that hip-hop has finally become a non-threatening part of mainstream American life, or it could just be that advertising executives are now young enough to have grown up with hip-hop, but either way, there's no doubt that the music has gotten a lot more, well, commercial over the past few years. From Dr. Dre to the Digable Planets, here's five recent examples.

Dr. Dre for Dr. Pepper

Oh how the times have changed. Twenty years ago corporate America was terrified of Dr. Dre, the leader of a group called Nigga With Attitude and the producer of F**k the Police. Now he pretends to enjoy pepper-flavored carbonated beverages and while DJing at a house party in the Hollywood Hills for a bunch of white people. Apparently time really does heal all wounds, or at least make people more marketable.

Biz Markie for Radio Shack

Maybe it's because he kind of looks like a black, clean shaven Santa, but Biz Markie's suddenly become a favorite or advertisers everywhere. Personally I like this Heineken ad much better, but this is the video that actually has him in it...taking pictures of fake penguins...while singing and dancing...sigh.

Digable Planets for Tide

Old school hip-hop fans were undoutedly shocked to see the Planets' classic "Rebirth of Slick" used to sell washing machines, though I would remind anyone who feels the need to go destroy their copy of "Reachin" should remember that Digable Planets themselves may not own the rights to their music. In other words, that song could have been sold to Tide without their approval. Someone needs to get Ladybug Mecca on the phone and sort this whole thing out.

Snoop Dogg for Orbitz Gum

See, the joke is that for Snoop Dogg, a black rapper from the ghetto, hell would be having to spend the rest of eternity with a bunch of old white ladies. Ha! (That was sarcasm by the way, just in case it didn't come across via text.) And who invites Snoop Dogg into a private school for a career day speech anyway? What'd you expect he'd say? Personally I'd like to see him launch a line of gin and juice drinks, but what do I know.

Lady Gaga for Everything

I know it's always a little awkward to include Lady Gaga as a "hip-hop" artist, but she is out on tour right now with Kid Cudi. Anyway, I mostly had to include this video because it's an absolute orgy of commercial placement. Not only is this the only example here of corporate America buying space on an artist's actual work, but this video features an astonishing 10 product placements (iPod, Philippe Starck Parrot speakers, Nemiroff vodka; Gaga-designed Heartbeats earphones, Carrera sunglasses, Nintendo Wii handsets, Hewlett-Packard Envy computers, a Burberry coat, Alexander McQueen heels and La Perla lingerie. As Dan Neil of the L.A. Times pointed out, "This isn't a music video so much as the QVC Channel you can dance to."