The Minivan Rap Song video is making the rounds on the web today, with the video featuring a middle class mom and dad rapping like ganstas about their “Swagger Wagon”, aka the 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan.
While the video is amusing, it’s not the first blatantly obvious marketing video featuring a “white and nerdy” cast lampooning hip hop culture for the sake of sales. However, some people are calling the video, and others like it, racist, claiming that it’s the modern equivalent of blackface.
But the majority of hip hop and rap record sales are to white people — so maybe this is just a ploy to market to the white folks with what they actually like? Very sneaky.
Check out the collection of hip hop culture parody videos below. What do you think — are these racist, funny, or straight up marketing savvy?
Minivan Rap Song
Smirnoff Tea Party
Bounty’s Paper Towel Gang
Taco Bell – All About the Roosevelts
Comments
James Sheldon
May 17th, 2010 - 10:46:34 AM
How the hell could it be racist? So, a black classical composer would be racist as well, by that standard. Classical music being "white" and all? Or Darius Rucker, former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman is racist because he plays country music? C'mon! Anyone crying foul doesn't get parody, and if you don't get parody, you take yourself far too seriously. Just laugh, people. Laugh all the way to the bank.
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no
May 17th, 2010 - 10:28:08 PM
music doesn't have a race.
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