Rap ads are in danger. After Dr. Boyce Watkins wrote a scathing post, "Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History," which appeared on YourBlackWorld Wednesday (May 1), alleging that a new commercial featuring Felicia the Goat, directed by Tyler, the Creator under his Wolf Haley alias, is rife with racist images and stereotypes, the PepsiCo-backed soft drink company pulled the ad and apologized in a statement to MTV News.
"We apologize for this video and take full responsibility, the soda company said. We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well.
In his manifesto, Dr. Watkins said that the commercial, which features a Tyler-voice Felicia using phrases like, "better not snitch on a player" and "snitches get stiches," used harsh racial imagery and language "to appeal to the black male demographic."
"Of course, in the world of Mountain Dew, every single suspect is black. Not just regular black people, but the kinds of ratchety negroes you might find in the middle of any hip-hop minstrel show," Watkins wrote. "Mountain Dew has set a new low for corporate racism. Their decision to lean on well-known racial stereotypes is beyond disgusting. This doesn't even include the fact that the company has put black men on par with animals."
Additionally, Watkins holds the Wolf MC accountable for his input behind the campaign.
"Even worse is that Mountain Dew probably thinks this ad is acceptable because they got the OK from a black man," Watkins continued. "In their thorough corporate oversight, Mountain Dew may not have realized that Tyler, the Creator is also the man who made a song called 'Tron Cat,' with a verse stating that he would 'r@pe a pregnant b*tch and tell my friends I had a threesome.'"
Mountain Dew likely responded to the outcry immediately due to the added corporate scrutiny of major products and their synchronization with hip-hop pitchmen after Reebok was forced to severe ties with Rick Ross in light of controversial rape rap lyrics on the remix of Rockos U.O.E.N.O. Mountain Dew has also been taken to task by the family of Emmett Till for its relationship with Lil Wayne, who used the civil rights luminarys name in a sexually-charged lyric on Futures Karate Chop (remix).
how is it racist anyway? looks liek a marketing scam to me
i've seen all of those commercials multiple times on different stations breh...
