The weather forecast this week: Unreasonably hot with no relief in sight. The days ahead will be sweltering and without mercy, make no mistake. Now might be the perfect time to head to the nearest grocery store or convenience mart and pick up some LaCroix-brand sparkling water. It comes in a variety of flavors, including apricot, mango, and tangerine, and it’s sodium-free to boot. For those who like to stay hydrated but find plain water just a little too dull, LaCroix could be a pleasant change of pace. That’s nice and all, but the best reason to pick up a 24-pack of this stuff is “Sippin’ On La Croix,” an insidiously catchy yet sincere hip-hop track by a YouTuber who identifies himself only as Rakeem. The song does not seem to be any kind of stealth marketing campaign by the Florida-based National Beverage Corp. or its subsidiaries. No, Rakeem decided to do a three-minute song about LaCroix all on his own. His love for the product is very real. “When you’re sippin’ on LaCroix,” goes the chorus, “you know it brings you joy.” There can be little doubt that he means it.
The track is not without historical precedent. Rappers have heartily endorsed particular brand names and products in their songs for decades, from Adidas and Puma to Tom Ford and Lamborghini. So far, though, no rapper has gone to such lengths to proclaim his love for carbonated water. That is, until now. Rakeem also talks a little about Beyoncé, but mostly it’s about the water.
In addition to showcasing the song (deemed by its maker to be “a journey of carbonated water”), the video shows all the fun that a person might have with a pack of LaCroix. Rakeem, for instance, makes a pair of hot-pink cardboard eyebrows from the packaging. That’s a fun activity for a summer day. He also hoists a multipack on his shoulder, as if it were one of the familiar boomboxes of old, and fashions two more into a sort of makeshift stage. By the video’s end, he has several LaCroix cans, hopefully all empty, braided into his hair. So LaCroix is not only refreshing, it’s entertaining, too. Currently, the National Beverage Corp. is the fifth-largest producer of soft drinks in the United States. This is the kind of spontaneous publicity that could catapult them into fourth place.
