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.