The Hidden Legacy of Sprite: How It Became Hip-hop's Favorite Soft Drink
Sprite.
It’s one of the most widely loved sodas across the world.
Many of us know about the legend Sprite, especially sprite from McDonald’s, and its strength; THAT particular sprite is more tequila than soda. It has to be. But we’re not here to talk about that part of the lore.
We’re here to talk about the… “other” parts of the Sprite story. The parts that the brand itself can’t really talk about (and for good reason)
But before we do that…
let’s talk about the conventional marketing campaign that led to Sprite’s ascension culturally.
IT ALL STARTED IN THE EIGHTIES
Sprite initially hit the scenes with a commercial featuring Kurtis Blow. For those too young to remember, he had a very popular song called “The Breaks” and did a lot of work with Run DMC.
What made this Sprite commercial special is that with Kurtis Blow powering it, this was one of the first commercials by a major brand to feature a rapper. 1 Kurtis Blow was a huge at the time, and the Sprite was hoping to make inroads with multicultural consumers. Hip-hop proved to be the perfect vehicle.
Ever since then, Sprite’s footprint has grown steadily, in no small part because of each innovation of its brand platforms has featured some element of hip-hop culture in it.
So, after the Kurtis Blow commercial…
Sprite continued to grow its relationship with hip-hop, eventually launching the brand platform in 90’s called “Obey Your Thirst” - a campaign which saw Hip-hop stars from Nas to Missy Elliot telling viewers to “Obey Their Thirst” in a slew of TV spots like the ones below.
But It Doesn’t Stop There…
The “Obey Your Thirst” platform changed over time. And in 2015, it evolved into a new campaign called “Obey Your Verse” — a nostalgic Hip-hop fueled campaign in which Sprite put lyrics from iconic rappers like Drake, J. Cole, Missy Elliot & Nas (both of whom make a return from the 90’s campaign) on 16 different cans.
As this new and evolved brand platform continued to grow, Sprite also launched into the world of branded content partnerships. This was a feat they accomplished by partnering with record label Mass Appeal on their content series “Rhythm Roulette” - a series where producers go into a record shop blindfolded and choose 3 records that they then have to use to make a beat.
Sprite’s twist on the series found prolific producers leaving the comforts of their recording studios to create beats at “The Sprite Corner” (see below for an episode featuring Just Blaze - producer for JAY-Z, Beyonce, and many more)
Building on the Success of Obey Your Verse, Sprite continued to its espouse its devotion to Hip-hop with its 2019 campaign:
Thirst For Yours
The "Thirst For Yours" campaign, much like the one before it, was a mix of tv commercials and branded content, further highlighting the future generation of budding hip-hop stars like Kodie Shane seen below.
Last but not least is Sprite’s 2022 spot,
NEW BOTTLE, SAME SPRITE
It’s only right that Sprite would dig deep into their Hip-hop roots to remind users that though their iconic green bottle was going away they’re still the same drink. In doing so, their new commercial gave a nod to an early 2010 Obey Your Thirst commercial by putting NBA star Anthony Edwards appears in the studio much like their Obey Your Thirst spot featuring Drake.
THESE ARE THE TRADITIONAL CAMPAIGNS BEHIND SPRITE’S POPULARITY IN CULTURE.
However…
Sprite is popular for reasons beyond marketing, and it doesn’t embrace all of its lore (for good reason).
Nevertheless Its place in the culture is undeniable, and that is in no small part because of…
LEAN.
During late 80s and early 90’s, in Houston Texas, a drink started to gain popularity amongst the underground. But, it wasn’t just a drink, it was a narcotic; Some users called it Lean. Others called it syrup. And a select few called it Dirty Sprite.
The mixture, which is often pictured inside of two styrofoam cups stacked together (i.e. a double cup), calls for a prescription strength cough syrup, candy, ice, and soda. And, the official soda for this highly addictive and deadly concoction is typically… You guessed it: SPRITE.
Lean was popularized by the late DJ Screw, who as his name infers, was a DJ in Texas and the father of screwed and chopped music (a sub-genre of hip-hop where records are slowed/pitched down)
DJ Screw frequently referenced lean usage is his music, and subsequently passed due to an overdose. However, his impact on hip-hop remains widespread today with many rappers becoming lean sippers because of Screw.
Culturally speaking…
LEAN WAS AN UNINTENDED CO-SIGN… BUT PERHAPS, SPRITE’S MOST IMPORTANT ONE
Think about it.
Sprite’s relationship with Hip-hop started in the 80’s and while the association hadn’t grown stale, appearing with big stars can only do so much to bolster a brand in the mind of consumers.
Sprite needed something else. It needed another co-sign, one that couldn’t be bought: a co-sign from the underground.
And because of that co-sign…
SPRITE BECAME A CULTURAL SYMBOL
Just like the black leather jacket symbolized the rebel, seeing a rapper surrounded by unmarked bottles of Sprite could only mean one thing. They were an outlaw.
And, for better or worse (honestly, for worse), an entire generation came to see Lean as a way of life. Although Sprite has tried to distance itself from it, one could infer that it has benefited from the association, albeit unwittingly.
The lore has taken turns since the days of DJ Screw. Southern Rap continued to usher in a wave of lean usage, and rappers like Lil Wayne became the face of its use in the early 2000s. But things changed in 2011 when rapper Future hit the scene.
After accruing a fanbase in Atlanta, Future eventually dropped a mixtape that would signify Hip-hop’s renewed commitment to the Sprite brand as the chaser of choice for lean.
The mixtape’s name?
DIRTY SPRITE
When Future dropped “Dirty Sprite” (and its follow up years later) it signified a renewed commitment to the brand as the chaser of choice for what has long been a hip-hop staple. That tape, made him the face of the culture, grabbing the figurative torch from Wayne.
Below he explains the reasoning behind the name:
THE AFTERMATH…
Today lean has (unfortunately) continued to be trend amongst Hip-hop stars. The new generation of rappers continue to see it as a staple, and in content featuring Lean usage you’ll still notice Sprite bottles around (often unmarked to avoid issues with the brand).
While unintended, Sprite continues to be a big part of Hip-hop because of Lean culture.
And though conventional marketing does a lot in the way of making it resonate in the minds of consumers, the underground world of lean is also a huge part of its story as well.
That’s all today, folks.
Peace.