While Sprite’s hip-hop lineage includes notables like Heavy D, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest and Brand Nubian’s Grand Puba—who allegedly coined the soft drink’s “Obey Your Thirst” slogan—the latest campaign doesn’t so much pass the mic from Nas and Rakim as it cements Glo and Latto’s place in Sprite and hip-hop’s future.
“Being a Black woman and a creative director on a brand like Sprite, I would be remiss not to be inclusive of female hip-hop and rappers,” Chaney said. “Creative direction and hip-hop are very much one of the same: It’s not a place that Black women are supposed to be, then we come up in spaces in places and show up and show out.”
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But hip-hop hasn’t just been about the music or artists in generations. You can go back 25 years to Sprite ads featuring Missy, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan to see how the brand reacted to the culture’s connection to sports and trace a line to its spots featuring Trae Young and Anthony Edwards today.
Sprite partnered with Complex to do an AI activation around the campaign. It’s partnered with Hamilton on the varsity jackets that have become a staple of the culture. They’ve teamed with Revolt to give away albums signed by Diddy.
Since 2020, Sprite has received a boost from hip-hop through Coca-Cola strategic partner McDonald’s Famous Orders, with both Travis Scott and Saweetie picking Sprite as their drink of choice. Even Glo’s love for the brand grew organically.
“My mama is a big Sprite fan—my mama would choose Sprite over any drink—and she just used to buy it a lot,” she said. “When you’re a kid, you just drink whatever your mama drinks, so I grew up on it at all the cookouts.”
