LL Cool J will pay homage to Run-DMC in his rap
for a new Dr. Pepper commercial. The ad was filmed before the Oct. 30 murder
of Jam Master Jay. LL Cool J specifically mentions Jay in his lyrics.
"After some deep thought and discussion
about how appropriate it would be to air this commercial, the surviving members
of Run-DMC, as well as members of Jason Mizell’s family, felt it would be a
fitting tribute," John Clarke, Dr Pepper/Seven Up chief advertising officer
told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
"We were deeply saddened to hear of Jay’s
tragic death," Clarke continued. "Early in the planning process we
began discussing which music ‘originals’ we wanted to celebrate in this campaign.
Run-DMC surfaced as the obvious and undisputed pioneer of the hip-hop sound.
We believe this tribute spot has even more meaning now for Jam Master Jay and
Run DMC fans, as well as the entire hip-hop fan and artist community."
A memorial will be featured at the end of the
ad that will run for eight weeks after the spot debuts during s during the NFL’s
conference championships, January 18-19. The advertisement will also be shown
during the Golden Globe awards, January 19.