It's the concert series that has given thousands of local hip-hop fans the chance to say, "I'm on the guest list!" It's an interesting case of product marketing in the modern world.
Another installment of Scion's Live Metro hip-hop concerts rolls into town Sunday at the Varsity Theater, with Brooklyn duo M.O.P. (Mash-Out Posse) headlining. Previous performers in the series have included such reputable rappers as Too $hort, Ghostface, GZA, EPMD, Slick Rick and Raekwon. All that's required of fans is they RSVP for the shows online.
Those free tickets come compliments of Scion, the hip Toyota brand that makes those funky little box-shaped cars. Just the idea that a corporate car company would use less-than-squeaky-clean rappers to sell their product says something about the changing face of hip-hop. The fact that Minneapolis is one of the cities targeted for this national campaign says something else.
"We definitely researched which cities had good scenes and were right for what we wanted," said Scion sales promotion manager Jeri Yoshizu.
Scion sees the Live Metro series as a new way to put its name and product in front of those Internet-loving Generation Y fans who don't respond so well to TV or print advertising. Said Yoshizu, "We're building up a solid brand following in these cities by supporting a music community."
Scion hooks up each of the rappers with a large live band to contrast their usual DJ sets. That whittles down the roster of possible headliners, but there's also more to it than that. "We do have a certain level of filtering for the artists we pick," Yoshizu said. "We go for respected rappers, not Top 40, and we pick ones without negative messages."
Scion is now testing the waters on starting up an all-metal offshoot to the series. The company even hosted a free Motörhead show at South by Southwest in March.
Trust me, I told Yoshizu we're also a big metal town.
