Last week while I was watching that new Tatyana Ali show on TV One, an ad for the 2010 Census came on.  It’s the second time I’ve seen it on that station.  All I remember is that there were black folk as well as other racial groups shaking and dancing to a slow paced hip-hop track that urged people to participate in the upcoming Census.  Since I can’t find the commercial online, I am not exactly sure if this was an official Census ad sponsored by the government or a third party production.  It doesn’t really matter.  More importantly, the ad got me thinking about how advertising targeting the black, er, I mean “urban” market, often has some sort of hip-hop theme to it.  I know that some people may argue that it’s the youth audience that the Census is aiming for in this one commercial, but since only adults partake in the Census that doesn’t seem quite right.  And I’ve only seen the commercial air on a black station.  Even a young black professional such as myself that loves Weezy, Biggie, and T.I. as much as the next, does not need to hear them every time I see a commercial.  Census ads produced for the Arab, Latino, and Cambodian commercials are not sung in a rap.  In fact, one targeting the Asian community (created by the Asian American Justice Center) has a bunch of young people wearing suits urging people to complete the Census.  I know seeing an Asian in a suit reifies just another stereotype and can be equally demeaning and frustrating; but sometimes I’d like to see more commercials targeting a young black audience in that matter.  The continuous attempt to inject hip-hop (or r&b if they’re trying to class it up) into every facet of black marketing is ridiculous. “Urban” radio is usually the worst with this.  I’ve heard everything from free clinic ads, to cola commercials to car company ads, in the form of a rap song.  I mean, do they really think I’d want to buy a car or more offensively get an gyno exam from a company using a Weezy sound-alike to lure me in? Moreover, I’ve never heard a rocker or country jam for a free clinic ad on “mainstream” radio [note: please correct me if I’m wrong], so why is this format used with the “urban” community so much?

I know there’s nothing new about this in the advertising world.  Kurtis Blow was rapping for Sprite in the 1980’s and the trend predicates hip-hop. Maybe I expect this more from commercial ventures, they’re looking only to sell, but I expect more from the Census… they should know better, particularly after the “negro” category fiasco.  They should be finding ways to reach out to the black community without relegating them to the same stereotypes that have continuously been perpetuated in the media for years since the word negro was in vogue.  I know that there are probably a plethora of other ads targeting the African American community by the Census that don’t have beats and dancing, but still, I feel like they deserve a big #cmonson tweet for this one.

Some fine examples:

McDonald’s Dollar Van Rap

Eastern Motors-Where Your Job’s Your Credit (not technically hip-hop but still…)

Memphis Bleek Pimpin (?) the Garnier Girls

McDonalds (Again!) Get’s A Little Soul

Curtis Blow Rappin For Sprite: