UPDATED: Master P and Lil’ Romeo officially endorse the new T-Mobile Sidekicks? Not so much
Look at the picture, guys. That’s the face of the new Sidekick LX. And T-Mobz? You’ve honestly just lost all respect from us. Seriously, what in the hell were you thinking? Do you think this is "cool", "fresh", or "hot"? Apparently you do, and that’s the big problem — it’s not! No one identifies with Master P or Lil’ Romeo anymore. No one is going to buy a Sidekick because Master P and Lil’ Romeo made a horrible song which is nothing more than a mockery of product placement. McDonalds tried to do something like this a while ago. They were offering $1-$5 for every spin an artist got on radio if their song had McDonalds in it. Guess what? They didn’t have to even shell out a dollar. Why? Because this was a blatant, uncreative attempt at product placement and it back fired. We’re starting to think your grasping at straws. In the whole world, you couldn’t find a better ambassador for your product? You went from Dwayne Wade to Na-na-na-na. Consumers aren’t stupid, in fact, they’re anything from it. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than this to make a substantial impact in what you’re trying to achieve. There’s a tasteful way to present something like this, and you failed. Miserably. AT&T is killing you left and right, your 3G network is nowhere to be found, and your phones are less than stellar. We really love you T-Mobz, you were our favorite for a while, but you really disappointed us with this. Check out the song below, and music video and lyrics after the jump.
UPDATE: OK, T-Mobz. While some of what we said is true (you really need to work on the phones and network side of things), we might have been a little harsh. Additionally, we received word from T-Mobile directly that Master P and Lil’ Romeo are not endorsing T-Mobile products, and they had no hand in the creation of the "Sidekick" song on their new album. At this point, we’re waiting for Master P and his team to get back to us with some official quotes and an interview but, we thought we’d update you now. A T-Mobile spokesperson told us that "the posting about T-Mobile’s relationship with Master P and Lil Romeo endorsing Sidekick devices is inaccurate. T-Mobile does not have a promotional or financial deal with Master P, Lil Romeo, the Miller Boyz or Take A Stand Records. While we appreciate their enthusiasm for Sidekick devices, T-Mobile was not a partner in the development of this song." Without hearing from the Miller Boyz directly yet, can we take guesses why they’d make a song and video with such blatent product placement and endorsements in it? They wanted to get the attention of T-Mobile to secure a deal, if we had to guess. Or did they actually get a check and T-Mobile realized it was an awful idea? What makes it even more odd, is that MTV and over 15 entertainment sites have a "press release" from Master P and Lil’ Romeo about this new "endorsement". We’ll update you guys when we hear back from Percy. In the meantime, the "Sidekick" music video clip and "press release" from Master P and Lil’ Romeo is below, along with song lyric excerpts from the song.
"Tmail me, my Sidekick, you got one? Flip it up!"
"Hit me on the Sidekick, rollin’ with a fly chick, I ain’t even trippin’ wody, that’s just my sidekick."
"I do it for the trappers, I do it for the dope boys, Sidekick ringin’"
"Halle Berry in the Sidekick, you know I keep a fly chick, I could make it rain, T-Mobile phone in the pocket. Got a pearl white one like my boy D-Wade. I ain’t trippin’ on the haters ‘cuz I’m already paid."
"This thing on my hip? Yeah, it’s called a Sidekick, CHYEA!, it’s more than a phone, it compliment the wrist."
"D-Wade iced out shinin’ like a lighthouse"
"We ain’t got to speak, let your hands do the talkin’ mami, tmail the info to the after party"
"FLIP IT UP, FLIP IT UP, FLIP IT IP, FLIP IT UP, FLIP IT UP, FLIP IT UP"
"Entrepreneur/rapper Master P. (Percy Miller), and his son Romeo have teamed up with T-Mobile to promote the new Sidekick LX. The campaign reportedly was created in an effort to show that the Sidekick is still one of the most popular and preferred "smartphones" in the urban communities.
"Everywhere I go I take my Sidekick with me: school, the movie set, out on the road," said Romeo. "It allows me to run my business and keep in touch with my friends. Texting is still the leading way of communication for us youth. I need my Sidekick like I need my Rap Snacks! I gotta have ‘em!"
“The Sidekick is the most important device for running my ventures,” said Master P. “I can’t always talk on the phone, but I can shoot off a quick text to close the deal when I need to.”
The father and son team "The Miller Boyz" have also created a song about the phone for their upcoming album "Hip-Hop History" entitled "Sidekick", which is due out September 4th, 2007 on Take A Stand Records. The album will be the first profanity-free street record available through the label."
I’m sorry, I cannot STAND the way they have marketed the SK into the realm of drug dealers, rappers, and vapid teenage girls; It is such a great format, and I used to love it.
This is truly one of the final straws for me…that and the deplorably dated tech they keep churning out
It isn’t racist to say that rap trash like that is exactly that, TRASH, and that it is embarrassing to see one’s phone (that used to be so loved) associated with it so closely.
15 year olds dont count no one cares about lil romeo or master p guess tmobile didnt want to shell out the money for 50 cent jay z or at least jeezy or ti
Wow, Master P and romeo…. I don’t see how it would actually get people to buy this new device but romeo does have a show that’s been out for a while so maybe younger people would like it… *I doubt they have the 400 to get one though*
I heard you can unlock the iphone somehow… Sounds like a plan!
Tmo, it is obvious you have no idea what you are doing. ghetto…….
Thats because T-Mobile has the weakest handsets around. WEAKEST! Happy I moved to the Ocean.
Hey now I’m Latino myself. Its a poor move. I’m not ghetto, I’m not buying into all this racism you are seeing. I grew out of that ghetto-ness years ago. If you find it upsetting go buy the new sk. People have their views plain and simple. I happen to side with a majority of these views. Its ghetto I hate to say it. As I stated before I’m glad I moved to Helio. Thanks.
Whatever BG all good still good reporting on ur end and master p romeo and tmobile still all suck!
Maybe Master P represented T-Mobile in their negotiations for the Curve. He did such a bang up job as Ricky Williams’s agent after all.
I think it’s sad and pathetic to have an ex-drug dealer melanzane endorse your phones!
I’m a latino man. I have a sidekick. I am not ghetto. I use it for both business and as a personal device. It has served me very well for the past 3 years. The SK is a phone for KIDS which is why I am moving on to the Wi-berry curve in a couple of weeks. Master P WAS a drug-dealer. Today he is a successfull business man and so is his son (with the nickelodeon shows running so long). I’m sure this is why T-Mo probably did consider using them. So who cares what his PAST is. It is not who he is TODAY. The only reason it is a mistake for T-Mo to go through with this promotion is that he Master-P is just not hot anymore. Jay-Z was once a drug-dealer too. Today he has his own line of Audermars Piguet watches (which is in my opinion in the top 3, behind Patek and Rolex, of the most respected traditional watches made yesterday and today). So if AP can see past Jay-Z’s PAST and see him for who he is today, why can’t some of you??? This pisses me off with some of you!! I’d rather just hear that Master P is not hot and marketable but not that he is/was a drug-dealer!
-Just my two cents.
Well this is one of the worst “things” I have ever heard.
Master P simply sucks – always have. I can’t name a single song from him. He’s nothing to me. That means his ads would not be catering to me. Anne Hathaway used a Sidekick in Devil Wears Prada. Tmo would have been smart to capitalize on that when the movie was pulling droves at the theater.
Percy Miller is dat you?
I wouldn’t be suprised if your first article influenced their decision to pull the contract.
“I need my Sidekick like I need my Rap Snacks!”
You’re kidding me right?
avi
your right about t-mo not wanting 29.99 for there bb plan like at&t
they want 39.99
now there is a great way to bolster value
lets bitch about the better deal
that was a uneducated as a rap song about the t-mo sidekick
i have never like t-mo never will
you just explained why
t-mo is for those who can not afford to have real service
and as for the slow factor … t-mo is just starting a 3g network
bb does not have a 3g device on any network
T-MO SUCKS
This song is really goin to take my mind of buying a iPhone and switching to ATT, the so call death star, great job Tmobs, LOL
I gotta say, that as much as I have been looking forward to the “new” sidekick, if t-mobile doesn’t get with it soon they will have lost me to the iphone.
wow this is sad time for t-mo, I have had t-mo for 5 years and I cant believe the way the companies downward trend from phones to service in the last year, I hope t-mo execs read this maybe you could have increased the budget on that music video, with the money that you are NOT spending on your network!
I have to wonder about TMO doing this for real, as BG metioned. I bet they cut a check to the Miller Boyz and realized what they’d done. But it made sense, since TMO’s best network reception is in the middle of cities, several in particular which have a large black urban market. Somebody looked at the culture of young people in the places where their stikin’ network has coverage and called it a “win-win” and then realized the overall image that it altered to TMO with the rest of the subcultures or wider cultures: black, white, hispanic, urban, suburban and rural and thought “I don’t know if everyone wants this “playa on ma’ sidekick” image. The best marketing they got was when the character of Clare Bennett on “Heroes” used it all last season. But the urban demographic (no disrespect intended) is a huge market for TMO where they actually have existing network coverage.
On the side: I kinda liked the SK3 and the SK ID, even though they are “old scool” technology. TMO’s network is the issue and their customer service is great. I had ATT, TMO and Sprint. Sprint was the best network for the cash where I live, but their customer service is downright satanic… I wish that I could have TMO customer service with a better network, but oh well.
Follow up…I read this and realized that people may take it to imply racism and I didn’t mean it that way at all…. Master P and Romeo are “clean-cut” figures in the black community and his new company and album is all about taking a stand against negative cultural influences in the black community and Romeo did have the show on Nick that lots of kids liked: red, purple, black and white. The video, however, was the atypical (though kind of poorly produced) “booty shakin”, ‘Benz behind me cause I’m a Playa’ image so I am perplexed. If the Miller Boyz wanted to “take a stand” and win a marketing contract with TMO-this wasn’t the “pilot episode the network would pick up” so to speak. I think they failed their audition with TMO and this video is the proof. That’s all I was saying. The idea was purely economic: have a stale rap star who is promoting family values back the aging SK line in places where people who first adopt, from a economic perspective, rap and hip-hop culture will embrace it. Seemed great till they saw the video!
MASTER P IS THE MAN, HE DID IT AGAIN, THE SONG IS HOT AND THE BEAT IS FIRE. T-MOBILE WILL BE STUPID IF THEY DONT GIVE THEM A DEAL. mASTER P SOLD OVER 75 MILLION. SO U HATERS NEED TO STOP.
BIG UPS TO MASTER P AND ROMEO
GO GET THAT CORP MONEY P…….
yea that beat is deff HOT. Go listen to the good quality version on this site:
http://allhiphop.com/blogs/multimedia__music/archive/2007/08/24/18474936.aspx
Really
Who gives a flying fuck?
The original rant is quite funny for such a news site like this.