One could argue that Dylan has sold out by allowing Pepsi to use his image and music in a commercial, but this is nothing compared to will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas who sacrificed the integrity of their music for larger sales numbers.
Bob Dylan
Legendary folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan is one of the most important innovators in music history. Whether people love him or hate him, most respect his contributions to music. Creative indie artists such as Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes have been compared to Dylan, but none have truly fit Dylan’s footprint.
When Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, he got booed by upset fans who favored his acoustic folk style. Dylan did not care about abandoning purists and stuck to his creative vision.
Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am represents the antithesis of a respected, talented songwriter with integrity.
will.i.am is a Sellout
Bob Dylan and will.i.am have some things in common. Both artists are strong advocates for civil rights and world peace. When it comes to their actual music; however, will.i.am represents the tragic nature of the modern music industry.
The first two Black Eyed Peas albums had modest success, but will.i.am and company wanted more. During these early days (the first two albums), most music patrons respected the creative integrity of the Black Eyed Peas. Perhaps will.i.am and his group mates believed they could make a bigger difference if they submitted to mainstream music demands.
Underground hip-hop artist Immortal Technique raps a monologue on "Poverty of Philosophy" about the dangers of people who think they can overthrow the system from within: “The problem with always being a conformist is that when you try to change the system from within, it's not you who changes the system; it's the system that will eventually change you. There is usually nothing wrong with compromise in a situation, but compromising yourself in a situation is another story completely,” (Revolutionary Vol. 1 2001).
In 2003, knowing that sales numbers are more influenced by marketing than talent, the Black Eyed Peas hired a curvy young woman that most of America seems to consider sexy. Not surprisingly, the first album featuring their new addition, Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson, went platinum several times over. This album (Elephunk 2003) also featured the song “Let’s Get Retarded,” which will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas edited to “Let’s Get It Started.” This version of the song became a huge commercial success.
The Black Eyed Peas achieved more commercial success with their marketing efforts, but they lost track of the creative vision and integrity that defines someone such as Bob Dylan.
Black Eyed Peas Lyrics Suffer with Fame, will.i.am Writes “My Humps”
“My Humps,” a famous song written by Pepsi’s pick as the modern Bob Dylan was rated in a Rolling Stone poll as the number one most annoying song. Furthermore, critics have ranted about “My Humps.”
John Bush of the website allmusic.com called it in his review of Monkey Business (2005), “One of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium.”
What Does the Pepsi Super Bowl Ad Really Suggest?
The Bob Dylan evolution to will.i.am metaphor certainly does not successfully argue that today's Pepsi is better, but it does suggest Pepsi understands the concept of selling product—after all, that’s all will.i.am does now that he has abandoned his artistic integrity. Perhaps Pepsi is saying, “It’s not about Pepsi’s flavor, it’s about Pepsi’s look.”
Max Neibaur - I like baseball and Abbott & Costello movies. I'm a media scholar, a sports buff/historian and my favorite color is orange. Op/Ed is ...
