Ludacris. Photo credit: Wikimedia commons.
In the early 2000s, Ludacris emerged as one of the top rappers in America and the rest of the world. This drew a lot of brands towards him, leading to multiple endorsement deals in the process.
One such endorsement deal was with soft drink giant Pepsi. The deal was one of the most lucrative in hip-hop history and when adjusted for inflation, can rival contemporary endorsement deals by current hip-hop stars.
Ludacris starred in an ad for Pepsi targeting racial minorities. The ad also featured the Colombian-born singer Shakira. No sooner had the ad began airing than it started drawing criticism from some American viewers.
The criticism centered around the rapper’s penchant for using profane words and references to illegal drugs. The criticism reached a crescendo when Fox News Channel commentator Bill O’Reilly blasted PepsiCo as “immoral” for hiring Ludacris, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m calling for all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt particularly the poor in our society,” he reportedly said.
Under pressure, Pepsi pulled Ludacris’ ad, saying that it had received complaints about Ludacris’ obscene rap lyrics.
“We have a responsibility to listen to our consumers and customers and we’ve heard from a number of people who were uncomfortable with our association with this artist,” the company said in a statement. “We’ve decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist and we’re sorry that we’ve offended anyone.”
Pepsi’s decision caused hip-hop activists to denounce the company while demanding that Pepsi reinstate the ad, and donate $5 million to the Ludacris Foundation. They also upped their demand with a threat to boycott Pepsi.
In a recent interview, Ludacris said the episode was the most challenging career moment for him. He accused O’Reilly of orchestrating the collapse of the endorsement deal.
“‘Most challenging career moment that you survived,’ first thing that comes to mind is Bill O’Reilly talking mess and making me lose my Pepsi endorsement, which is very ironic because years later, if you look it up, he came and he lost his job based off some sexual allegations,” Ludacris told Men’s Health during an episode of “The Rewind,” according to Finurah.
“So, it’s very funny how the world works and the world turns. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why a company like Pepsi would sign me, and just because this man had something to say about me on television, they dropped me from it,” he said.
More than two decades after the incident, Ludacris said he has rebuilt his relationship with Pepsi.
“…My relationship with Pepsi is now back and strong as ever. We’re helping the community together through my foundation, The Ludacris Foundation. So again, everything comes full circle and works out the way that it’s supposed to,” Ludacris said.
The circumstances surrounding the death of 42-year-old Love & Marriage: Huntsville star Keke Jabbar were…
A 61-year-old woman was fatally mauled by two dogs in an attack that occurred in…
Robert Williams was detained in 2020 after he was suspected of stealing expensive watches. This…
Miranda Turner and her siblings surprised their mother, Pamela Martin-Turner, with a doctoral tam and…
Sabrina Elba, the wife of Hollywood star Idris Elba, has disclosed that her husband has…
The Los Angeles Lakers signed rookie Bronny James to a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth…
Ayana Parsons is the co-founder of Fearless Fund, a firm that provides venture capital financing,…
A 23-year-old 100-meter sprinter, Owen Ansah, has broken the German record by clocking 9.99 seconds…
LeBron James is back with the Lakers, sealing a two-year, $104 million deal. At 39,…
Dr. Cletus Madubugwu Ibeto is a Nigerian entrepreneur and businessman behind the Ibeto Group, one…
Annette Addo-Yobo is the first immigrant-born and the first Ghanaian woman to win Miss Texas.…
There have been mixed reactions in Cameroon after the daughter of the Central African nation’s…
A $2 million settlement has been reached with two college students who were tased and…
Sean “Diddy” Combs has put his Los Angeles mansion for sale four months after the…
After serving two prison terms, Thomas T. Jones recently triumphed against all odds and earned…