Hip-Hop Group Urging Pepsi Boycott Over Ads
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The hip-hop nation has parted ways with the Pepsi generation until the giant soda maker shows it some respect.
Accusing Pepsi of applying a double standard by placing foul-mouthed rocker Ozzy Osbourne in a Super Bowl commercial only months after yanking rapper Ludacris for his vulgar language, rap icon Russell Simmons on Wednesday called on the hip-hop community to start a boycott next week against PepsiCo Inc.
“The ‘Campaign for Respect’ will be officially launched a week from today,” Simmons said in statement following a press conference in New York on Wednesday. “We’re asking all artists and supporters of hip-hop culture to refrain from supporting Pepsi and PepsiCo products,” he said.
Simmons said the action follows six months of unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a settlement of the dispute.
He said the boycott will continue until Pepsi agrees to certain terms, such as issuing a public apology to Ludacris and the hip-hop community, making a $5 million charitable contribution to the Ludacris Foundation and reinstating the Ludacris Pepsi television commercial.
Purchase, New York-based Pepsi declined to address Simmons’ specific demands, but a company spokesman said on Wednesday that the Ludacris situation was unfortunate for all concerned.
“We learned from it and we moved on. We completely understand and respect Russell Simmons’ passion for promoting hip-hop music and we are working with him and others to do just that,” the spokesman said.
Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) had initially planned to announce the boycott during the upcoming National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.
But a spokeswoman for the non-profit hip-hop group that Simmons co-founded said on Wednesday they pushed up the announcement as word of the action quickly circulated.
She said Simmons still plans to the attend the All-Star game in Atlanta and will be co-hosting a party there with entrepreneur and former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
PARTY TOPIC FOR ATLANTA
No formal activities regarding the boycott are planned during the weekend, although the issue is sure to spark a lot of attention at the many star-studded soirees and events surrounding the all-star game in the home town of Pepsi’s rival Coca Cola Co.
Simmons is credited with bringing black, hip-hop culture into the American mainstream over the past 20 years. He is also the founder of Def Jam Records, a unit of entertainment giant Vivendi Universal
The controversy began a few months ago when conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly said Ludacris was foul-mouthed, accused Pepsi of being “immoral” and urged a boycott.
Pepsi caved in to the pressure, yanking its 30-second television spot, stating it had received several consumer complaints about Ludacris’ profanity-laden song lyrics.
In addition to its flagship sodas, PepsiCo makes such household brands as Tropicana orange juice, Gatorade sports drink, Quaker Oats and Frito-Lay snacks.
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