Hip-hop and corporate America have maintained a relatively healthy marriage over the years, but recent debacles between brands and their musical associates suggest a divorce could be looming in the near future. At the very least, a more restrictive pre-nup is in order.

In the past month, the iron fist of big business struck down on rappers to satisfy public outcry. Rick Ross lost his contract with Reebok over a date rape lyric; Mountain Dew similarly dropped Lil Wayne for a line in one of his songs slandering Emmett Till; and Tyler the Creator’s latest digital advertisement for the soft drink was removed after it caused uproar over offensive messaging.

While theses differences of opinion may not completely dissuade brands from signing endorsement deals with rappers moving forward, some marketing executives feel they will inspire stricter contracts.

“When you’re looking at potentially partnering with an artist, every brand needs to know there is inherent risk,” Patience Ramsey, Vice President and Account Director of Sponsorships at Translation, tells theGrio. “As a brand, you have to know what your trigger points are and what’s acceptable and what’s not. If you haven’t thought about that, and you jump into a relationship with an artist, you may be caught off guard…I don’t think these instances are going to make hip-hop artists untouchable to brands, you just really need to make sure that when you’re looking at the type of artist you want to partner with, there must be some kind of shared values system in place.” Continue reading →