Worldwide cognac brand Hennessy has announced a four-city tour for its fourth annual Hennessy Artistry series. The event will be curated and headlined by rapper/actor Common, along with hip-hop band The Roots, who will also serve as the house band.

Each night, the event will feature performances from a variety of artists, including emerging talent, as well as high-profile special guests.

“Hennessy is the master of blending, and Artistry, is all about artistic blends of music genre, culture and style. The lineup is coming together nicely. The Roots and I are really collaborating to create a musical blend of talent that will do Artistry justice. We are planning some surprises as well, it should be quite an experience and I am thrilled to be a part of it,” says Common.

Hennessy Senior Vice President Andy Glaser stated, “Our vision is for each event to be a blend of musical, artistic, and cultural experiences that give our brand’s fans a once in a lifetime experience—a memorable legacy that will remain synonymous with Hennessy.”

Since its inception, The Hennessy Artistry series has featured a myriad of talent, both local and mainstream (Kanye West, LL Cool J, and Ne-Yo [curator of 2007 series]).

In the past 12 months, the event has taken place in various regions of the world such as Stuttgart, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Hanoi.

Below is the four-city tour schedule:

The Shrine in Chicago                                  SEPTEMBER 12

The Velvet Room in Atlanta                         SEPTEMBER 19

The Corinthian in Houston                          OCTOBER 3

“HALO” in New York at Terminal 5             OCTOBER 7

The Coca-Cola Company and Atlantic Records have partnered together, assembling artists on the label from different genres (hip-hop, pop and rock) to record the single “Open Happiness,” as the accompanying song to the third installment in the Coca-Cola “Happiness Factory” series of commercials.   

A collection of top performers participated in the making of “Open Happiness,” including: Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco), Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), and Janelle Monae. Musically, the project was a collaborative effort between chart-topping producers Butch Walker (who co-wrote the song with Cee-Lo Green) and Polow Da Don, both men having produced for some of today’s most popular artists, such as Usher, Kelis, Pink, Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry. 

Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes felt that union made sense commercially and artistically, saying, “I think Coke reaching out to up-and-coming and established artists is a really good move - everyone comes out a winner. We as artists get to collaborate with people we look up to and Coca-Cola gets a fresh new song that I think people are going to be really receptive to.” 

Adding his perspective about being asked to participate on the project by such an iconic brand, Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green said: “I guess what was interesting about the idea at first was Coca-Cola’s interest in me – that was appealing. Music’s marketplace can be very fickle and unforgiving and if you want longevity and you want legend, who better to ask advice from than Coca-Cola?”

“At Atlantic we strive to create career artists who make music with worldwide resonance. The pairing of the artists on this song with the Coke brand is a perfect match and we anticipate it being a huge global success,” stated Camille Hackney, SVP, Brand Partnership and Commercial Licensing, Atlantic Records. 

“Open Happiness” launched today (3-16-09) as part of Coca-Cola’s new global integrated marketing campaign, supported by a global push using popular promotional outlets such as Myspace, iTunes, and Facebook. In addition, a percentage of the sales will be donated to charitable causes through Coca-Cola’s ‘Live Positively’ platform.

 

 

    

The relationship between liquor brands and rappers have been quite unique: Snoop Dogg once promoted the liquor brands Tanqueray and Seagram’s on his classic hit “Gin and Juice”; Sean “Diddy “ Combs is part of the marketing mix of the Ciroc brand; and currently Young Jeezy is the spokesman for Belvedere vodka. Following in this tradition, the Smirnoff brand recently announced the launch of their second annual Smirnoff Signature Mix Series, a campaign that unites rappers of past and present to reinterpret popular records from some of the artists’ catalogues.

For the newest installment, Nas and Marsha Ambrosius, formerly of Floetry, pair up to perform Nas’ hit “If I Ruled The World”; Buckshot and Kardinal Offishall partner to redo Buckshot’s memorable “I Got Cha Opin”; and the duo Nice & Smooth unite with Pac Division to remake Nice & Smooth’s classic “Funky For You.”

“It was a pleasure working with Nas again,” said Marsha Ambrosius, who previously worked with the Queensbridge rapper on The Game’s “Why You Hate The Game?” off of Doctor’s Advocate. “Smirnoff gave us a great opportunity to put a new twist on a classic record, and I’m excited to be a part of the project this year,” she added.

“We’re really looking forward to adding onto the success of last year’s Signature Mix Series with these six artists, and coming up with some clearly original, reworked songs to add to the campaign,” said David Tapscott, Smirnoff Brand Director. 

Last year, Smirnoff launched the first Signature Mix Series, celebrating classic records from KRS-One (“Criminal Minded”), Q-Tip (“Midnight”), and Common (“The Light”), pairing them with renowned producers DJ Premier, Cool & Dre, and Just Blaze, respectively.

The Smirnoff Signature Mix Series campaign recently launched nationally in cities including, but not limited to: New York, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. It is to be supported by radio, digital, and video promotion, in addition to home advertising and retail point of sale.

Nas and Marsha Ambrosius’ rendition of “If I Ruled The World” is the first single, which became available on Smirnoff’s website March 5th. All three songs will be available for free download exclusively on the site.

 

 

 

Recording artist Sean Kingston has announced a sneaker and apparel deal with Yum Shoes. Under the agreement, Kingston will partner with Yums Designer Tex to release an exclusive shoe that is representative of his Jamaican heritage. This is the sneaker brand’s second signing of a recording artist, following the exclusive deal made with rap artist Soulja Boy Tell’em.

Tex says of the deal between Kingston and Yums, “I’m excited to work with him. Sean is kinda like a Pop Star with a definite street edge to him. He’s a great fit for us.” JP McDade, CEO of Yums Shoes, adds: “We could not have signed a better artist to compliment Yums and our current deal with Sean Kingston’s personal friend Soulja Boy Tell’em. Yums now has two of the most influential teens in the music game and on the internet.”

Kingston and Soulja Boy Tellem also collaborated on a new single, “Yamaha Mama,” that will be included on Soulja Boy Tellem’s sophomore album “iSouljaBoyTellem,” scheduled for release on December 16, 2008.

Hip-Hop icon and legendary rapper/producer Andre “Dr. Dre” Young has partnered with Interscope Geffen A&M Records Chairman Jimmy Iovine and Monster, a leading manufacturer of professional audio and video accessories, to create the “Beats by Dr. Dre” headphones.

A consummate producer with a penchant for details, Dr. Dre’s newest innovation is designed to maximize the listening experience for consumers by capturing the subtle nuances hidden in most musical recordings. Featuring powered isolation technology created to reduce external noise and enhance sound quality, the former Death Row Records co-founder and Aftermath Records boss conveyed his confidence that “Beats by Dr. Dre” meets his standard for the way headphones should perform.

“Artists and producers work hard in the studio perfecting their sound, but people can’t really hear it with normal headphones. Most headphones can’t handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line: the music doesn’t move you. With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear and listen to the music the way they should – the way I do.”

Years in the making, Jimmy Iovine expressed his satisfaction in the final product, explaining: “Dre and I have been developing these headphones for a while and in Monster we found a partner that could work with us to crystallize his vision and develop them to the quality level he expects.”

The stylish black high-definition headphones emblazoned with a red “b” logo enclosed in a white/metallic/silver circular design are retailing for $349.95 at Apple and Best Buy locations. To entice shoppers to sample the “Beats by Dr. Dre,” listening stations have been set-up at select stores so that consumers can hear and experience the difference in audio engineering.