(AllHipHop News) Chance The Rapper has made it a practice to call out what he perceives as racial insensitivity in the media. Last December, the “No Problem” rhymer criticized the racism symbolism in the Netflix movie Bright, and he recently took issue with an SNL skit performed by Kevin Hart.
Now Chance has turned his attention to a Heineken advertising campaign he calls “terribly racist.” A commercial for the Dutch brewing company features a bartender sliding a Heineken Light beer past several black people before landing near a light-skinned woman. Then a tagline appears on the screen that reads: “Sometimes, Lighter Is Better.”
“I think some companies are purposely putting out [noticeably] racist ads so they can get more views. And that sh-t [is] racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it,” tweeted Chance. “But I gotta just say tho. The ‘sometimes lighter is better’ [Heineken] commercial is terribly racist.”
He added, “Im not saying [boycott] them or go off im just noticing how often it happens and I think they [are] baiting consumers and tweeters and freelancers and sh-t. Like I didnt wanna tweet about it so bad but its like how can u not.”
Heineken is the latest business to face accusations of racist or offensive advertising. Over the last year, Pepsi, Dove, Kellogg, and H&M have all been hit with significant negative reactions for marketing materials viewed as distasteful.
Red Urban is the agency handling Heineken’s U.S. digital advertising. YouTube versions of the “Sometimes, Lighter Is Better” commercial show different scenarios of the bartender sliding beers to various people.
UPDATE:
Heineken has pulled the ‘Sometimes Lighter Is Better” ad. The company’s US spokesman Bjorn Trowery said, “While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer, and that light beer is better than other high-calorie options — we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns.”