Black Sheep Unaware Of Kia Commercial

Apparently, Dres of Black Sheep wasn’t privy to the rapping hamsters in Kia’s latest ad campaign. D-R-E-S shares his thoughts with VIBE on the group’s song being used and how he’s expecting some royalties to come along with it.

“The Choice is Yours” is in a new Kia commercial and some other classic hip-hop songs have been getting commercial revivals too. What’s up with the resurgence of golden era hip-hop in advertising?
I think it’s reflective of a time period of a certain level where it was good feelings. Certain songs just represent a good feeling and I think “The Choice is Yours” is one of those that was so fortunate to have that life. There are songs that⎯like with when Obama won⎯you knew where you were and what you were doing and “The Choice is Yours” is like that. I didn’t have any time to do any form of huge promotion globally so at this time that I got an album coming out, it’s such a blessing that so many people are turning their heads to notice, wow Black Sheep, what’s Dres up to? But it kind of goes to the walk of an artist especially from my era⎯everything was kinda young and this Kia commercial, I didn’t even have anything to do with it.

So you didn’t even know it was going to happen?
I wasn’t even contacted. I have yet to receive payment on it but don’t get it twisted, I will. I’ve been talking to Kia for the past week or two so certain things might be done moving forward in maximizing what we’re trying to do. But Universal, the record label, was basically the ones that signed off on it and gave them permission to use my likeness so that’s a different story that might wind up having a life of itself as well. I wouldn’t say that the label did everything that they were supposed to do but that goes to us being young artists and not understanding some of
the things that we were signing. I would say to the artists today⎯and this is 20 years later⎯that I’m not the administrator of some of the things that I should be especially so far down the road. But God moves in mysterious ways and I see it as a blessing at the end of the day.

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  1. mac DIESEL says:

    CORPORATE FUCKIN’ AMERICA!!!! SMH!!!!

    DON’T HATE ON MY OPINION!!!!

  2. DARKAQUA says:

    SO BASICALLY…

    HE WAS YOUNG AND DUMB…AND PRETTY MUCH SOLD HIS SOUL TO UNIVERSAL BACK IN THE DAY

    HE’S TRYING TO GET A CHECK AND GET SOME EXTRA CHECKS BY WORKING WITH KIA EXCLUSIVELY

    I CAN DIG IT…BE APART OF THE HIP HOP ENDORSEMENT MOVEMENT…YOU SEE JAY-Z DRIVING AROUND NYC IN THAT JEEP…THA NINJA GETTING PAID FOR EXPOSURE, PLEASE BELIEVE!!!

  3. K.o.D says:

    TRASH!

    HATE ME NOW!

  4. getitrite says:

    Dres. Not Dre. How yall eff that up?

  5. DGtheEnigma says:

    About YN’s Blackout:

    Man, that was one of the most contradictory posts you’ve ever written!

    Is it because you haven’t healed because it was “Ri-Ri”, Jay’s satan spawn? Lol…no, but seriously, I get it, it was way wrong and people have the right to choose rather or not to like the kid.

    My point is, how can the kid EVER recover or prove himself if YOU won’t give him a chance?

    That speech — you know, the one you said was BS — was SUPPOSED to be the ” humble new attitude” you’re asking for….

  6. silverStar says:

    i knew it. re Black Sheep. Knew it.

  7. DARKAQUA says:

    DGtheEnigma says:
    Wednesday, June 30 2010 at 2:20 PM EST
    About YN’s Blackout:

    Man, that was one of the most contradictory posts you’ve ever written!

    Is it because you haven’t healed because it was “Ri-Ri”, Jay’s satan spawn? Lol…no, but seriously, I get it, it was way wrong and people have the right to choose rather or not to like the kid.

    My point is, how can the kid EVER recover or prove himself if YOU won’t give him a chance?

    That speech — you know, the one you said was BS — was SUPPOSED to be the ” humble new attitude” you’re asking for….
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    COSIGN!! YOU KNOW YN LOYAL TO HIS MAN CRUSH

  8. wordsnott says:

    Darkaqua… stfu… u don’t know what you’re talkin about and its painful

  9. Bomber says:

    Did this nukka just say they used his likeness…..in a video of rappin rats?….

  10. DARKAQUA says:

    wordsnott says:
    Wednesday, June 30 2010 at 2:42 PM EST
    Darkaqua… stfu… u don’t know what you’re talkin about and its painful

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    SAVE THAT FOOLISHNESS FOR MAC…I WON’T ENTERTAIN YOU OR YOUR THOUGHTS

    THIS IS THE LAST RESPONSE I’LL MAKE TO YOU

    THE END…

  11. Dee says:

    Industry Rule #4080….

  12. The Other P says:

    Dope commercial. Hope Black Sheep get some bread because of this. Love hearing classic hip hop in mainstream commercials that aren’t cheesy.

  13. Nathan says:

    Get off CB nuts niggas
    He tryna come back off another nigga(mj) name how can you respect that
    How bout he come back off his own music?
    Or if yall so in love with CB go out and buy his last album…oh yeah it was ass
    FOH stans

    Black Sheep need to collect his funds

  14. JIMMYZ says:

    WHOA I LOVE HIPHOP AND HAMSTERZ! IM DEF GONNA buY A KIA NOW NO JOKE!

  15. MsMe says:

    I work in music clearances. The master is owned by Universal and Universal only had rights to clear the master. The publishing – the lyrics (his voice) SHOULD HAVE BEEN cleared by him. I’m glad he knows now because he WILL get a lot of money over this screw up – if he plays his cards right.

  16. derek says:

    @Dee record labels are shaaaaaaaadddyyy

  17. derek says:

    @msme correct me if I’m wrong but if Universal owns his publishing as well, he’s still SOL, right?

  18. llllllllllllllllllxlllllllllllllllll says:

    Rap music is a way for advertising agency to literally trigger your internal dialogue in ways only nostalgia for music can do. Even if its only for a few seconds, and regardless if you buy the product, those few seconds are what these companies are paying for. Anyone that sang along to the Just a Friend Heineken commercials knows…you probably had the song in your head for a few secondsa after you turned off the tv in the cab. we are going to be ‘marketed’ with rap music that mattered until were dead.

  19. […] Via: 0HackingEthics var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Black Sheep Unaware Of Kia Commercial"; a2a_config.linkurl="http://iamnotarapperispit.com/blog/2010/07/01/black-sheep-unaware-of-kia-commercial"; a2a_config.onclick=1; a2a_config.show_title=1; […]

  20. […] ♣ Black Sheep Unaware Of Kia Commercial [Rap Radar] […]

  21. Evil-Genius says:

    this is so fuckin funny lol

  22. ICE says:

    KIA did them a favor and put a cool song along with some cool CGI on a TV ad that people will watch and or listen to whether they want to or not unless they fast forward commercials on their TiVo’s. If it’s all about the money, I have .99 cents to give. No wait, Apple will take .90 cents of that and give .09 cents back to Black Sheep. Is that fair? Give Black Sheep the credit they deserve.

  23. IA Graphics says:

    I was so happy when I heard Black Sheep in the KIA commercial, because I love the song. Having worked extensively in the music business especially with Hip Hop, the first thing I thought is “I hope they did not sign away their publishing rights.” A friend of mine who is a prominent old school rapper recently had to sell his publishing rights to get out of debt and now his big hit is being used EVERYWHERE! in the case of Black Sheep, like so many other young artists they probably just signed on the dotted line , excited to get a record deal without reading the fine print. The good thing is that the new school is learning from the old school’s mistakes and being more careful with their business and reading everything before they sign their life away.

    The Digable Planets hit “Cool Like Dat’ was recently used in a Tide commercial and when I told Doodlebug I hope he got paid he just said “It’s all good” so I take it they did not get paid either.
    When I worked with The Roots Geffen Records took my partner’s illustration and sold it to Ecko Unlimited without asking us. He ended up being hired as a designer for Mark Ecko in the end, so it all worked out just as Dres is looking at the Kia commercial as a blessing.

    Unfortunately Black Sheep will probably see no royalties from this, if they signed away their publishing Kia had no obligation to contact them. I do hope that the exposure helps them!
    IA Graphics and Printing

  24. AllAboutMel says:

    I am the female voice on the intro and my voice was also used without my permission! “MsMe” you seem to have knowledge about this type of situation, what if any is my recourse? Please let me know.

  25. Jasmine says:

    Great read! Funny thing, I just saw Dres doing his comedy routine for Anthony Anderson’s “Mixtape Comedy Show.” (http://bit.ly/chwtuD)

    I didn’t realize he also does stand-up until he shockingly showed up on stage. He’s actually pretty damn funny!

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