Have you seen this ad? Volkswagen ad and black culture.

Volkswagen ad and the mutilation of black culture.

Watch this ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLzC_b1Q5BE 

The 2016 Volkswagen television ad showcase the Tiguan. The advertisement shows several white teenagers getting out of their boring and somewhat ‘embarrassing’ cars as their apparent uncool parents drop them off at their school. One parent decides to play classical music in the car as their teenage daughter sinks further into her seat looking humiliated. However, one teenage girl,  cruises down the typically white-suburban road, with her father in the latest brilliantly white Volkswagen SUV. During the car ride, the girl plays the song ‘Hip Hop’ from the cars sound system with the windows wide open, as many white teenagers look in awe. As the music blasts from the car, the Tiguan’s auto parking feature is demonstrated. The father, looking very proud of his ‘cool’ representation and goes to give his daughter a fist pump but is met with an embarrassed and prominent sigh and eye roll. As the father drives off, the words “The new Tiguan. Cool. Calm. Connected” appear as the music ends. In their Youtube’s description of the advertisement, Volkswagen state ‘watch our latest advert for the all-new VW Tiguan, our compact SUV, featuring the classic track from Dead Prez; “Hip Hop”’.

The featuring of this ‘classic track from Dead Prez; “Hip Hop”’  is an example of the mutilation and ignorance of black culture in modern commodified culture. Dead Prez is a duo conscious political hip-hop group. Their songs demonstrate their anti-consumerism, anti-white hegemonic and pro-socialism and communism political perspectives. They originate from the standpoint of traditional black revolutionaries. They are campaigners and encouragers of the urgent need for radical change to the modern commodified system. The commodified system exploits and creates a society where there is a drastic division between the white and rich and the ‘Other’. Only the beginning of the song ‘Hip Hop’ features in the advertisement with the repeating beats of “hip hop, hip hop, hip hop”. The advertisement could have done this in order to conserve the notion of black culture. None of the definite lyrics was featured in the advertisement. The lyrics that were to appear subsequently after were,

“Uh, one thing ‘bout music, when it hit you feel no pain,

White folks says it controls your brain;

I know better than that, that’s game and we ready for that

[…]

You would rather have a Lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?

A Beamer, a necklace or freedom?

Still, a nigga like me don’t playa’ hate, I just stay awake

This real hip hop and it don’t stop until we get the po-po off the block”

(Dead Prez, 2006). 

The advertisement appears in a suburban context with predominantly white people. Yet, the lyrics are specifically a critique of white hegemony (“white folks says it controls your brain”). 

The lyrics contain rhetorical questions including the connotation of liberty (“justice”, “dream”, “freedom”) which are opposed dramatically to the luxurious items (“Lexus”, “Beamer”, “necklace”). These lyrics reflect Dead Prez’s anti-consumerist views which they attempt to bring attention to the public. However, their lyrics are disregarded, disrespected and cut in order to promote the notion of obtaining a flashy car that can self-park. The song and the advertisement entirely and juxtapose against each other yet the song is nevertheless used to commodify the difference of black culture. Dead Prez’s attempt to demonstrate their equal intellect was nothing but a ploy to promote and sell the difference of their ‘Other’ inhabits. The Volkswagen advertisement ends with the words “cool. Calm. Connected”. The advertisement produces connotations that further reinforces identity myths on black culture. It overwrites and mutilates the song’s position in history. It fantasies black people to being reduced to false mystical “cool” and exotic meanings. The advertisement further impacts black culture through these identity myths.

The fact that the editors decided to remove the lyrics out from the advertisement further demonstrates the mutilation of black culture. The lyrics true passion and meaning are non-existent in this oblivious advertisement. Figuratively, the advertisement has mutilated and dissected the hip-hop duo, Dead Prez’s voice. Their vocal cords. They have mutilated their (dis)position through a white gaze. They have disfigured their external and internal qualities of their anti-consumerist and anti-white hegemonic minds. Most importantly, they have severed their voices and their opinions out of society to have no distinct link to political power. The advertisement producers have erased the entire history, culture and meaning of the song. This Volkswagen ad is the mutilation of the black duo’s voices, language, and their literature.

What were your insidethinkingthoughts on my advertisement analysis?