Hip-Hop Plans Boycott Of Pepsi, Other Corporations

Various hip-hop heavyweights are lining up to announce a proposed boycott of Pepsi and other companies that exploit hip-hop music. Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Network plan to make announcements and detail the plans during All Star Weekend in Atlanta. "We are going to show Pepsi and cooperate America just how powerful we are," […]

Various hip-hop heavyweights are lining up to

announce a proposed boycott of Pepsi and other companies that exploit hip-hop

music.

Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Network

plan to make announcements and detail the plans during All Star Weekend in Atlanta.

"We are going to show Pepsi and cooperate

America just how powerful we are," Simmons told AllHipHop.com.

Many are accusing Pepsi of a double standard,

after dumping rapper Ludacris in August of last year. Fox’s Bill O’Reilly assailed

Pepsi on "The O’Reilly Factor," for utilizing the rapper in their

advertisements.

The company had no issues with the equally, if

not more profane Osbournes, who debuted a new Pepsi Twist commercial during

this years Superbowl.

“This isn’t about the Osbournes, but that situation

makes it more pertinent,” Simmons continued. “What Pepsi did has affected other

deals and other rappers. We intend to flex our muscle.”

O’Reilly branded Pepsi as “immoral” for using

Ludacris to promote the soft drink and urged viewers to boycott Pepsi. Over

3,000 people called in and pressured Pepsi to drop Ludacris.

Pepsi claimed the nature of his lyrics were not

appropriate for their younger viewers.

"We have a responsibility to listen to our

consumers and customers and we’ve heard from a number of people that were uncomfortable

with our association with this artist," the PepsiCo Inc. unit said in a

statement. "We’ve decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist

and we’re sorry that we’ve offended anyone."

The Osbournes Pepsi Twist commercial ironically

aired on the Fox television network during the Superbowl.