Hip-Hop Artists Endorse Vehicles Edit
Kanye West Promotes Lincoln’s Zephyr

Rapper Kanye West will include the new Lincoln Zephyr midsize sedan in his upcoming video “Drive Slow.” The hope is that West can help convey the message that Lincoln is reinventing itself with bolder vehicles such as the Zephyr.
Detroit’s automakers are turning to an unlikely source for help: the hardscrabble world of hip-hop. Whether it’s to shake a stodgy image, shine up a faltering brand or fish for new buyers, the Big Three have found plenty of work for a string of A-list rappers in recent months. General Motors Corp.‘s Pontiac brand gave down-and-dirty Atlanta rapper Ludacris the job of pitching its new Solstice roadster in TV ads.
Ford Motor Co. has chart-topper Kanye West promoting Lincoln in an upcoming music video, and Chrysler still is getting mileage from Snoop Dogg-Lee Iacocca commercials that ran last year. The alliances mark a departure from Detroit’s often conservative advertising approach, which typically consists of cars on winding roads or trucks slogging through the mud. (DETROIT NEWS)