ATLANTIC RECORDS GROUP SUPERSTARS TEAM WITH GAP FOR HIP-HOP HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN; FLO RIDA, TREY SONGZ, AND JANELLE MONÁE ARE FEATURED IN MASSIVE “MERRY MIX IT” PROMOTION; STAR-STUDDED SPOT SET TO AIR IN CINEMAS AND ONLINE BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 13TH
Three of the Atlantic Records Group’s brightest stars are partnering with Gap for a major holiday marketing campaign. Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida, Songbook Entertainment/Atlantic recording artist Trey Songz, and Bad Boy/Wondaland Arts Society recording artist Janelle Monáe were specifically selected to bring their unique brand of hip-hop cool to the international specialty retailer’s upcoming “Merry Mix It” campaign, slated to debut online, in Gap stores, and in movie theatres nationwide on November 13th.
With hip-hop artists commanding top endorsement dollars and in high demand by savvy brand marketers worldwide, Gap reached out to Flo Rida and Trey Songz to write and produce a street-smart rendition of a Christmas classic for its annual holiday promotion. The resulting “Jingle Bells” is now airing in Gap stores nationwide, with in-store video displays in select stores, set to begin on November 13th.
Gap will highlight “Jingle Bells” on its www.gap.com/merrymixit site, which offers fans and customers the opportunity to personalize the spot. Users can custom remix the commercial’s big beats and rambunctious rhymes and then send it to friends and family as a truly unique holiday greeting card.
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Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida is among the year’s biggest hip-hop success stories, having exploded into the mainstream with his historic debut single, “Low (Feat. T-Pain).” The single – featured on Flo’s RIAA gold-certified debut album, “MAIL ON SUNDAY” – spent 10 extraordinary weeks atop Billboard’s “Hot 100” on its way to 4x platinum certification, , firmly establishing it as the #1 best-selling digital single of all time.
Among Flo Rida’s other achievements, “Low” made hip-hop history as the first-ever debut single from a rap artist to top the CHR/Top 40 radio chart, where he became only the fourth rap artist to hit #1 since 2005. The track’s ringtone has also proven a huge success, having recently received 4x-platinum certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding four million. Earlier this year, “Low” broke the record for the most consecutive weeks as the #1 ringtone in the country, with 13 weeks in the top spot on the Nielsen RingScan chart.
“MAIL ON SUNDAY” also includes two additional hits in the gold-certified “Elevator (Feat. Timbaland)” and “In The Ayer (Feat. will.i.am). The album sees Flo Rida teaming with some of today’s top hit makers, including The Runners, J.R. Rotem, and Atlanta’s DJ Montay, who produced “Low.” The Carol City, FL native also recruited a who’s who of A-list collaborators, among them Atlantic Records labelmate Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Yung Joc, Sean Kingston, and Akon. Executive Producers of “MAIL ON SUNDAY” are E-Class and Mike Caren.
Flo Rida has received a stunning number of honors and award nominations, including prestigious nods from the American Music Awards, BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. What’s more, Flo has been showcased in a wide range of national publications, including a recent cover profile in XXL. Further features appeared in King, Vibe, Men’s Fitness, Blender, and Rolling Stone.
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Hailed by the late, great Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun as “among the most promising R&B artists we have had on Atlantic since we started the company 60 years ago,” Trey Songz first burst to the forefront of modern urban music in 2005 with his critically acclaimed debut, “I GOTTA MAKE IT.” In October 2007, Songz’ breakthrough second collection, “TREY DAY” made a stunning chart debut, entering Billboard’s “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” tally at #2, while also exploding onto the Billboard 200 at #11.
The album – which includes the #1 Urban Mainstream smash, “Can’t Help But Wait” – sees Songz teaming up with a stunning selection of studio superstars, including Songbook Entertainment founder Troy Taylor (Pretty Ricky, Tyrese), Stargate (R. Kelly, Ne-Yo, Rihanna), Danja (Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado), Bryan Michael Cox (Danity Kane, Mary J. Blige), the Runners (Young Jeezy, Trick Daddy) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige), Dre & Vidal (Usher, Chris Brown), Bei Maejor (Bun B, Chris Brown), Eric Hudson (Omarion, Joe, John Legend), and the one-and-only R. Kelly. The album’s Executive Producers are Troy Taylor, Delante Murphy, and Kevin Liles. The Co-Executive Producer is Trey Songz.
A 2008 BET Award nominee for “Best Male R&B Artist,” Songz has been profiled in a variety of national publications, highlighted by cover features in Right On!, Floss, and Black Beat. Other magazine appearances include King, Sister 2 Sister, WordUp!, SBH, Blackmen, XXL Presents Hip-Hop Soul, Giant, Hype Hair, and Rap Fanatic.
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A charismatic singer, songwriter, producer, and performer, Janelle Monáe’s ground-breaking style crosses musical genres in a captivating postmodern merging of R&B, funk, and rock ‘n’ roll. Her recently released debut, “METROPOLIS: THE CHASE SUITE,” sees the Atlanta-based artist relaying the epic musical journey of her android alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, as she traverses a sci-fi inspired world of cybersoul. The album – executive produced by Diddy and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton – has received pervasive critical applause for its innovative, genre-blurring style and inventive lyrical approach.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Janelle is the kind of artist that changes the game,” says Bad Boy CEO Sean “Diddy” Combs. “She is a true visionary, with an original sound and a mesmerizing presence. I can’t wait to watch the future unfold for Janelle.”
“What I love about Janelle is that she has a magical ability to bring folks together,” declares Big Boi. “And she’s one of most inspiring performers ever.”
Monáe – who first garnered national attention for her collaborations with Big Boi on OutKast’s “IDLEWILD” – has been featured in a wide range of national publications, including Vogue, GQ, Giant, Rolling Stone, XXL, WWD, Bust, Essence, and Paste.