General Motors has teamed up with a number of different celebrities to promote the new 2021 Cadillac Escalade. First, the automaker enlisted the help of Oscar-winning actress Regina King to help introduce the new luxury SUV, then it tapped James Blake to promote the vehicle alongside his new EP, ‘Before.’ Now the automaker is turning to hip hop community to promote the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, hiring rapper Killer Mike of Run the Jewels to appear in a short 60-minute online advertisement for it.
The advertisement is part of Cadillac’s new #NeverStopArriving series and follows Killer Mike as he goes to visit a mural that a local Atlanta street artist painted of him. The rapper, whose real name is Michael Render, is well-known in the Atlanta area not only for his music, but for his activism and community outreach efforts, as well.
“I’m from collier heights in Adamsville,” Render says in the voiceover for the 60-second spot. “This neighborhood was planned for and by African Americans and they solidified their business in the Edgewood corridor generations before us, and they understood that the acorn they planted would soon be an oak tree.”
“Atlanta gave me absolute confidence and it’s my job to serve the greater good for this community,” Render also says in the ad. “The most effective thing you can do is organize locally. That’s where the real investment is, in your neighbor. Hope is local. I have accepted that I am a leader, but do I think I’ve arrived? There is no arriving, just constantly setting new goals. Nothing is impossible.”
This isn’t the first time Cadillac has shown an interest in Killer Mike and Run the Jewels. The hip hop duo’s song with DJ Shadow, “Nobody Speak” is used as the background music for a number of different Cadillac ads, including the aforementioned Regina King advertisement, among others.
The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is produced at the GM Arlington Assembly plant in Texas. Pricing starts at $76,195 for the entry-level Luxury trim level, while the extended-wheelbase ESV model is priced from $80,490.
Check out the Killer Mike advertisement for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade embedded below.
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Comments
How does GMC land Lebron, and Cadillac gets someone whose listeners most likely won’t be able to afford to make 5 payments on this thing and have it repoed? Why not get NFL, NBA, Music stars like Eric Church, 50 Cent, Luda. Military Vets? Anything but the no name people aside from Regina George and that director whose probably chowing these lames. These commercials make us look more like Chrysler and their poor mans rolls.
At least that poor-man’s Rolls is within the realm of affordable.
My question is: how many potentital buyers -ones who actually HAVE the money – want to buy something associated with the “gangstah” culture in the first place?
killer mike is highly articulate and doesn’t seem “gangstah” at all to me. He comes off as being well educated and proactively involved with his community, seems like a great spokesperson to me.
It is cool if he is legitimate. Now Cadillac should dare greatly and get another Brand rep just as another voice. The Escalade has different buyers. Perhaps some Masculine Man who is a patriot (not sports) and well known. That way to relate to many of Cadillacs existing customers. With the current events I can’t help but see this all as pandering.
Wouldn’t getting a “manly man” just be pandering to another demographic… Aren’t all sales tactics just pandering really? Killer Mike is the son of a police officer and florist who’s become a self made millionaire… Seems like he’s a pretty legitimate guy to me.
Dude seriously, what kind of company wants to associate its product with someone named “Killer”?
“ h4cksaw
killer mike is highly articulate and doesn’t seem “gangstah” at all to me. He comes off as being well educated and proactively involved with his community, seems like a great spokesperson to me.“
Yeah, no. Killer Mike is another Al Sharpton race pimp. I liked his verses though in some songs, but he’s irrelevant. A rapper that glorified the activity in the community that has it in a downward spiral and now want to come out because of “police violence,” he’s a hypocrite just like TI and the rest of that kind.
“and the rest of that kind” I don’t want to say you’re a straight up racist… But it’s not looking good.
Dude, I’m black and his kind is the kind of people that glorify the violence in the black community then cry about police violence. Reading comprehension isn’t that hard.
Even black people can be racist homie.
Oh, don’t I know that, just like racist white people “governa.”
I guess I don’t really know what you’re really trying to say… Maybe my reading comprehension really is just that bad.
For the record Killer Mike has been very publicly opposed to the riots, just search youtube. His lyrics are a form of expression and are protected by some amendment I think.
In regards to publicly announcing you’re race, did you think that was relavent to disclose in order to validate your ignorant comment. Whatever, dude have a nice life.
You were alluding to someone being racist. Hard to do that when you’re pointing out actions of something or someone. I never attacked him on his skin color. I attacked the content of his character. His actions is what I attacked, but here you come white knighting another man’s actions. Again, comprehension isn’t hard. Maybe try understanding what’s being said first instead of just trying to react. Good day to you.
I wasn’t alluding to someone being racist, I was alluding to you being racist. Now that you’ve announced yourself as an african american we know that obviously isn’t the case… Phew.
Wow. Your racism and ignorance are in full view here. (in response to GM Needs….. and The Gentle Grizzly)
???? I am perfectly fine with Lebron, how does me wanting NBA/NFL stars in Cadillac commercials equate to me being racist? FCA did the whole Detroit import campaign that aligns with what Cadillac seems to be doing here. No one buys a car because the guy gave back to the community, they buy a car based on the likeness of that car AND how a huge time celeb endorses it.
@GM needs…: You may buy a car differently, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who may now go with a new Escalade instead of the Range Rover or BMW or MB because of this new ad. However, here is a quote from you above: “and Cadillac gets someone whose listeners most likely won’t be able to afford to make 5 payments on this thing and have it repoed?”
You don’t see that as outright racist and ignorant? Sorry, but I do.
This guy was among the leaders of the rioters and looters… first LeFraud, then Spike Lee , then Regina King and now this character.. Is GM targeting sell this vehicle only and solely to one specific minority group or the company has taken over by Frankfurt School?
Troll alert
You couldn’t steal one yourself?, Trump teaching embezzlement classes 👍….
Um.. everything has been taken over by the Frankfurt school, have you been paying attention?
What a sad day to see this very nice article and then read three really ignorant comments laced with racism and lack of compassion.
What, are you guys just mad that there are black people who can afford something you probably can’t? Or is it that you don’t like that they can also buy what you buy? Either one shows who you really are. Very sad. Other than h4cksaw, they comments so far are scary.
I don’t think it is that man. People are legitimately tired of pandering including myself. The past few years has pushed rappers and hip hop stars to the front lines. Society has placed them on a pedestal. People like Snoop Dogg have gotten way too much attention. These are not the type of people I would want if I had kids to have as role models as many a degenerates. I can’t speak for killer mike as I haven’t heard his music. However my point still stands about the pandering and virtue signaling. One has to be blind not to see. Just go to a professional site like linkedin and see all of the pandering to certain groups of people. I.e. so called minorities and females.
@dblezy: No matter who you use, people will say it’s pandering to someone, right? When you speak of role models, there are a lot of “rappers” that I would never allow my kids to listen to. Yet, there are a lot of other people that I would never want my kids to look at and think that person is a role model. Trump? Although he’s “a” president, that doesn’t make him anyone I would ever look up to nor want my kids to. I’m not talking politics, but how he acts and what he says. Things he does. Not all politicians are like him or bad. Not all rappers are bad. Not all athletes are bad. The same can be said about them all not being good either.
What I’d love to see in advertising of Cadillac would be going back to how they advertised in the 60’s, 70’s and where they let the car sell itself. But those days are gone.
Killer mike, Regina King, James Blake, Im sure these are all great people but most wont or don’t know who they are. Cadillac needs big time celebs that have instant recognition. Its almost like Cadillac is going out of their way to bring in nobody’s.
At least Lincoln brought in McConaughey.
those Lincoln commercials are straight up terrible. McConaughey is an ok actor based on some of his recent roles… but lets not forget how garbage 90% of his RomCom movies are.
killer mike and el-p make great music that probably sounds amazing on the 19+ speakers in the escalade.
side note have you seen the Doug DeMuro YouTube review of the new escalade… its amazing.
My Doug score on your comment is 0 out of 10.
lol. DougScore ©
I really liked the Navigator but I have to admit it, Cadillac is definitely better when it comes to the exterior. The interior, a little to much plastic for me but still, it’s definitely an upgrade compared to the last generation. But I don’t get why they had to have such crappy fuel economy. I feel like GM could easily get burned by that once Ford brings their hybrid engine from the F-150 to the Expedition or Navigator, that could really take away some sales from GM.
That guy is a total hack, just another European car fanboy millennial who featuring 10 to 15 old aston martins, maseratis, s classes , bmw 7s etc. as bargains… hey douch there is a reason that sheet on sale for $7k. He’s conditioned to picture American cars as inferior and cheap made. When he review an American vehicle turns into total plastic sniffer dog but when its comes to overpriced German cars shuts his eyes to obvious cheap squeaky plastics and fake materials all over the place, you only hear praises from his biased mouth. He’s not a car guy more like car interior reviewer as in most of the car “enthusiast” pretenders who doesn’t have any idea of car technologies whether propulsion or electronic systems.
In that episode he supposedly objectively reviewing the Escalade then ten minutes in he realizes he said too much positive things about an American vehicle and feels the need the show American cars’ bad material quality so what he does after a quests he finally catches his hunt; good old turn signal shifter! You would say what can be wrong about a turn signal switch. Well according to our authority it made same material in
every other car, so from some kind of plastics and judgment on this is cheap made car! But unfortunately he doesn’t offer his advice of what should have used instead of that. Is this mean they supposed to made the turn signal switch from leather or metal or gold. Doesn’t those kind of material create some kind of discomfort for driver? Of course Doug doesn’t think that much further, he just hates.
Watch out man, Dan Berning might cal you out as racist smh
Watch out, your doing a darn good job of that yourself.
They need to get someone with class like Ben Carson to represent the brand. In my opinion if they want to be Tier one again they should not be chasing “clout” with the younger generation.
The Ben Carson that used $30grand of tax payer dollars for a new desk? A brain surgeon who’s somehow qualified to run HUD? That Ben Carson?
the only product i see him endorsing is prune juice.
w/o the hip hop community, i think the escalade would be floundering or dead. they made the escalade a luxury icon.
Not true. Buying used Cadillacs does no good to Cadillacs bottom line. I see many normal people driving Escalades.
but hip hop made the escalade cool. it became more than just a big ass suv. that is why the escalade wasn’t renamed the xt8.
Are you for real GM publicity department? Where’s loyal Escalade owner blue chip celebs; Tom Brady, Sylvester Stallone, Tiger Woods, Ben Affleck, Dr. Dre?
Exactly ………Patrick Mahomes, Dwayne Johnson…….and so on…..
The Rock is sponsored by Ford
Smart move by Ford then. Regardless you get my point, or should.
Cadillac should have hired someone like Patrick Mahomes to try attracting a younger buying group.
I personally don’t care who is pushing the Escalade in ads and videos. I have always let Cadillac, the vehicle be the only enticement I need to buy one. I am a very loyal Cadillac owner and love my old DTS and am currently awaiting delivery of a 2021 Sport Platinum Escalade. I reserved it long before all the advertisements started being shown. The vehicle speaks for itself. I don’t care about which music icons or sport icons are representing the brand, I just want the Escalade. And I certainly wouldn’t be buying a Ford product no matter who sponsored it.
Sad ,some of the comments!!!!
You guys should really look up killer Mike 😂
Many but not all Caucasian feel as if they have somehow failed by seeing an African American move into their neighborhood or drive the car they own or are inspired to own. This is America, someone has to be at the bottom and unfortunately the system has made it to where many whites feel entitled to superiority over others. I bought a eight year old car. My co-worker who is white owned a Year and a half old truck. When he saw my new (USED 8 YR OLD) car he immediately traded his year and half old truck in for a brand new one… just because he believes somehow I’m a threat to his way of life. He makes 50k more than me and has been blessed with white privilege. I guess because I go to work everyday and bust my ass I don’t deserve anything nice because of my ethnicity. HA!!! I just bought one of the nicest Cadillac trucks in the city and my co-worker will never see it.
I don’t think GM should be using any one with the name Killer. Whoever they may be!!! It just sends the wrong message to these kids.
Try it like this….. Killer Mike……killer on the mike. You get it? Killer on the mike. Look this man up. You might just have similar values. He’s certainly a second amendment guy.
It really does not matter who Cadillac gets to endorse the vehicle. It’s either you like it and will buy it or you don’t like it and won’t buy it. It really does not matter at all!
Sam,
Is Killer Mike a one minute Method Man/ promoter or a sixty-minute-Mission-Impossible-episodic-documentarian?
Before.’ Now the automaker is turning to hip hop community to promote the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, hiring rapper Killer Mike of Run the Jewels to appear in a short 60-minute online advertisement for it.
Unbelievable how yet again race makes its way into the advertisement of a vehicle!
Wow!
Soooooo, was r@pist rodney not available?
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