A variety of hip-hop artists have signed a deal
with King’s Potato Chips to represent a variety of junk food aimed at the urban
community. Lil’ Romeo, The Big Tymers, Mack 10, Mr. Cheeks, Ms. Toi, Bell Biv
DeVoe, Master P and Warren G are some that have signed on to represent snacks
like: Chumpies, Homegirls and Rap Snacks, a series of flavored potato chips.
"Potato chips aren’t exactly ethnic, but
it’s the way you package them and present them and the flavors that makes them
different. Everybody eats chips, so you might as well eat the ones that appeal
to your eyes and psyche," Glenn Weber, owner of King’s Potato Chips, told
the AP. Based in Philadelphia, King’s will market the rap snacks to entice the
"young, urban-minded people."
Weber will use the artists name and face to promote
the product to the inner city. For example, Weber has paired Mr. Cheeks with
Salsa Cheese, Ms. Toi with Sweeties, Bell Biv DeVoe with Back At The Ranch,
Master P with Platinum BBQ and Warren G with Nacho Cheezie to encourage purchases.
An 11-year old girl adds, "It’s not just
plain, it’s different," and that’s what Weber is hoping will work towards
the success of his products.
Additionally, the majority of the rappers involved
with the snacks are on Universal Records, who thought this pairing would be
a great cross-promotional opportunity. "We jumped onboard because we thought
it was a good outlet to get our artists to their core audience," said Eve
Marsan, product manager at Universal Records. "They do that with everything
now … cigarettes, alcohol. Why not snacks?" Marsan said to the Associated
Press.
Currently, King’s Potato Chips distributes over
90,000 bags of Chumpies and Homegirls to Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Jersey,
with hopes of increasing sales with the addition of cheese curls and flavored
popcorn.
