Brands: Rolls-Royce is "Tops of Pop"

Park the Benz, just to ride the Wraith,” Quavo raps in Drake’s song “Portland,” which peaked at No. 9 on the charts this year. That Wraith he’s so thrilled about is a $300,000 automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd., which has quietly become the king of pop-culture music references, appearing in more top songs than any other brand.

Not Mercedes-Benz, not Ferrari, not even Lamborghini. Rolls reigns.

Bloomberg analyzed the lyrics of each song that made it into the top 20 spots of the Billboard Hot 100 from May 2014 to May 2017, counting the brands or products mentioned. Multiple mentions of the same brand or product in the same song weren’t included.

Particularly with the ascension of hip-hop, brand references became a shorthand for aspiration and status. As such, they’re also a good barometer for your brand’s cool factor, or its imminent dilution, depending on your marketing strategy. Bloomberg analyzed tracks that made it into the top 20 spots of Billboard’s Hot 100 over the past three years and found that eight of the 12 most popular product mentions have four wheels.

Rolls-Royce tops the list, featured in 11 different tunes by such artists as Future, The Weeknd, and Kodak Black. Ferrari is a close second. Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Bentley, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche each get touts in several songs. Among non-car shout-outs, old standbys Hennessy cognac and Nike’s Air Jordan sneaker label got the most. We also found that it’s not just alcohol, guns, clothing, and super luxury making it into songs anymore—software, cookware, and even Band-Aids are making the grade.

As far as the song including the most name-checks, the crown goes to “Bad and Boujee” by hip-hop group Migos, which climbed all the way to the No. 1 spot on the charts early this year. It includes 19 brand mentions, from Instagram and Klout to Segway scooters and, um, Crock-Pot slow cookers. Car references are sprinkled throughout the song, too. They rap about a “lamb” and a “frog,” nods to Lamborghini and Porsche. There’s also a reference to the Ferrari 458 Spider, a drop-top convertible that costs more than a quarter-million dollars. The Rolls-Royce Ghost gets some attention as well.