> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Can Rodney Jerkins’ Artists & Brands Break Artists Via Music In Commercials? - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/can-rodney-jerkins-artists-brands-break-artists-via-music-in-commercials/ - Published: 2012-01-10T20:53:00.000Z - Updated: 2012-01-10T20:53:00.000Z - Description: Rodney Jerkins and Artists & Brands recently got a nice writeup in the LA Times about their belief that they can help break artists by connecting them with brands for. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/01/can-rodney-jerkins-artists-brands-break-artists-via-music-in-commercials.h - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Music Marketing, Artists & Brands, Rodney Jerkins, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:55 [![Artists-brands-logo](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20167604782fd970b-200wi "Artists-brands-logo")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20167604782fd970b-popup?ref=hypebot.com) ****Rodney Jerkins and Artists & Brands recently got a nice writeup in the LA Times about their belief that they can help break artists by connecting them with brands for commercial work. The hope is that a song written for a commercial might take on a life of its own and help one of their up-and-coming artists build on that success. However, when one looks at their activities on the web, it seems like Artists & Brands' focus is on the brands much more than the artists** . **Twister Commercial with Vocals by Nikki Lynette** [Artists & Brands](http://www.artistsandbrands.com/main/?ref=hypebot.com), founded in Chicago in 2009 by Rodney Jerkins, Ira Antelis and Daryl Jones, appears to be doing a solid job connecting artists and brands in the process of creating or participating in marketing campaigns for those brands. However, Gerrick D. Kennedy, writing [for the LA Times](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-mcdonalds-rodney-jerkins-20120110,0,2014345.story?ref=hypebot.com), focuses on the idea that involving up-and-coming artists in making music for commercials might be a pathway to success: "Upstarts gain visibility by debuting original tunes — a coffee ad featuring hand dancers and newbie R&B singer Dejion went viral last year — and McDonald's no longer has to pay the big bucks for superstar talent." I'm guessing Kennedy means the [commercial featuring Cleary & Harding](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1QdH6ZgJ3M&ref=hypebot.com), who are apparently well known, doing hand dances to a catchy tune about "caramel and mocha" by an unidentified singer. Unfortunately, Dejion, who is not listed as a current artist with Artists & Brands, [seems to have a very limited web presence](http://www.google.com/search?q=dejion&ref=hypebot.com) with the first result for his name being a [MySpace page](http://www.myspace.com/dejionmusic?ref=hypebot.com) that hasn't been logged into since December 2010\. [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZQuaQtZMI&ref=hypebot.com) couldn't be him could it? It looks like that artist's brand hasn't done so well. But given that Artists & Brands is not a management company, obviously Dejion needed to do some lifting on his own and that doesn't seem to have happened online. As [Kennedy points out](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-mcdonalds-rodney-jerkins-20120110,0,2014345.story?ref=hypebot.com): "Jerkins and his team make it clear they aren't looking for jingles; they're in search of hits. The hope is one of these songs will take off like Somali-Canadian artist K'naan's single "Wavin' Flag," which was Coca-Cola's anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and became a Top 20 hit in more than a dozen countries." Given that K'naan was an already established artist putting in a lot of work to support "Wavin' Flag," maybe this aspect of Artists & Brands' vision fits a current artist with which they're working, [Nikki Lynette](http://www.nikkilynette.com/?ref=hypebot.com). Lynette is a "rapper, singer, producer, songwriter, visual artist, and on-air personality from Chicago" who has a [strong web presence](http://www.google.com/search?q=nikki+lynette&ref=hypebot.com) and has [already licensed music](http://www.theroot.com/views/root-interview-chicago-afro-punk-rapper-nikki-lynette?ref=hypebot.com) to MTV that appears on "Jersey Shore" and "The Real World." She's already getting her work out there and if something she does blows up while working with Artists & Brands, like the vocals for the Twister commercial shown above, Lynette has her own infrastructure developed to capitalize on that break. And the song for the commercial definitely sounds like a song that would stand on its own. Nevertheless, even though Artists & Brands aren't a management company, I find it a bad sign that what is basically a marketing firm doesn't seem very involved with social media. Their [YouTube channel](http://www.youtube.com/user/artistsandbrands?ref=hypebot.com) is underdeveloped and their [Twitter account](https://twitter.com/?ref=hypebot.com#!/artistsnbrands) is in the early stages. Neither focus much on the artists and, though their [Facebook account](http://www.facebook.com/artistsandbrands) is in better shape, they didn't crosspost the Twitter video there after posting it on YouTube. I have to admit, I like the idea of breaking artists via commercial music. But the reality seems to be that Artists & Brands are working for the brands and if a song breaks out, it's the artist and the rest of their team that will be making it something more than a novelty item. *Hypebot Features Writer Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at [Flux Research](http://www.fluxresearch.com/?ref=hypebot.com) and blogs at [All World Dance](http://www.allworlddance.com/?ref=hypebot.com) and [This Business of Blogging](http://www.thisbusinessofblogging.com/?ref=hypebot.com). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact:* clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com .