Tyler, The Creator Mountain Dew Ad Pulled
Another Mountain Dew co-signed rapper is feeling the pressure of cultural critics as parent company PepsiCo pulled a commercial created by Odd Future frontman Tyler, The Creator. Viewers have said that it is insensitive to racism and violence against women.
The ad is the third in a series with the tag line "Dew It" that suggests the beverage is an addictive stimulant. In the first spot, The primary character, Felicia the goat (who has a male-sounding voice), is seated at a restaurant. A waitress presents him with a Mountain Dew that he at first rejects by hitting the woman in the face with his hooves. After a taste of the Dew, his violence increases as he demands more, chases the waitress and shouts, "You're never gonna catch me," a catchphrase that is used throughout the campaign.
By the third spot, the white waitress is badly battered, on crutches at the police station being coaxed by a white officer to identify the perpetrator in a line up made up of Felicia and the all African-American Odd Future.
Social commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins said it is "arguably the most racist commercial in history."
A PepsiCo spokesperson offered an apology and told Adweek that the video is being removed from Tyler, the Creator's and Mountain Dew's YouTube channels.
"We understand how this video could be perceived by some as offensive, and we apologize to those who were offended," the rep said. "We have removed the video from all Mountain Dew channels and have been informed that Tyler is removing it from his channels as well."
Part 1 and Part 2 remain available for viewing. Some links of Part 3 are still live as of press time.
In the clips there is also a promotion for Loiter Squad, the sketch comedy show airing on Adult Swim that features the alternative hip-hop group and is produced by producers of MTV's Jackass. In the teaser, a white man says, "Gosh you negroes are really violent."
This ad pull comes on the heels of Lil Wayne, who is also a Mountain Dew spokesperson, apologizing for lyrics that many have said belittle Emmett Till's legacy and promote violence against women. Till, an African-American, was brutally murdered by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white woman.
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