The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2013
Reebok dropped Rick Ross over one guest verse
A lyric on someone else's song cost Rick Ross his Reebok deal — and a reported $3.5–5 million in endorsement income.
Reebok · Rick Ross (rapper) · Rocko (artist) · 2013-04-11
What happened
In March 2013, Rick Ross's guest verse on Rocko's single "U.O.E.N.O." drew a storm of protest — the lines "Put molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain't even know it" were heard as describing an assault. Women's rights groups protested outside a Reebok store in Manhattan, and a petition built online.
On April 11, 2013, Reebok ended the partnership, announced just over a year earlier: "While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones such conduct, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse." The statement closed: "At this time, it is in everyone's best interest for Reebok to end its partnership with Mr. Ross."
Ross apologised on Twitter, saying the lyric had been misinterpreted and that he did not condone such conduct, and later issued a fuller statement: "Before I am an artist, I am a father, a son, and a brother to some of the most cherished women in the world. So for me to suggest in any way that harm and violation be brought to a woman is one of my biggest mistakes and regrets." Press reports put the value of the deal he lost at $3.5–5 million.
Why it happened
- The verse was on another artist's song, but the endorsement was his — a brand deal makes the partner's entire output a claim about the brand.
- Reebok's statement separated belief from regret: it did not accuse him of condoning assault, it faulted his response — which made the termination read as a standard, not a judgment.
- Protests at a storefront turned an online controversy into a physical event, which gave the brand a date it had to act on.
The lesson
A guest verse can cost a rapper his own shoe deal — the brand's standard covers everything a partner says, and an apology after the termination is too late to matter.
Aftermath
The termination came about a year after Reebok announced the partnership. The episode became the reference case for brands reacting to lyrics: Reebok kept its statement about standards, Ross kept his career, and the deal stayed dead.
Sources
- New York Times ArtsBeat — Reebok Drops Rick Ross After Protest Over Lyrics, 11 Apr 2013 (termination statement; storefront protests; his Twitter apology)
- BBC Newsbeat — Reebok drops Rick Ross over assault-referencing lyric, 12 Apr 2013 ("Rick Ross has failed to do so" line; Ross's tweet)
- HuffPost — Rick Ross Reebok Salary Revealed As Rapper Asks For Forgiveness, 17 Apr 2013 ($3.5–5M reported loss; full apology statement)
- CNN — Reebok drops Rick Ross, 11 Apr 2013 (partnership ended over lyrics on Rocko's "U.O.E.N.O."; deal announced 14 Mar 2012)
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