Holiday Inn Express: White Rapper Stupefies the Streets

I’m developed a weird appreciation for commercials featuring geeky white rappers but I found this commercial for Holiday Inn Express a bit disappointing and problematic.

Since I’m hung up on branding campaigns having an actual tie to the benefits of the product or whatever value proposition exists, the initial humor of the "I got skills cause I slept at Holiday Inn Express" theme faded long ago.

As did the inherent humor in awkward white people rapping, though this character is presented as being skilled at what he does while being true to himself.

Something about the slack jawed black observers of this white performance bothers me.

The initial rap that makes fun of the white guy is actually a staple technique for such freestyle encounters, something one learns to do early on, and it’s fun to see the tables turned but it would be more fun to see the likely response of these three which might include uproarious laughter, visible sulking and/or a whole range of over-the-top responses that would have tied folks together rather than end in another victory for the white man who could afford to sleep at Holiday Inn Express rather than Motel 6.

On the other hand, if you enjoy seeing weak ass rappers get served from left field, then it’s all good.