Kweichow Moutai, the World’s Biggest Drinks Brand, Just Released a Really Bad Rap Song

If you’ve ever had more than a few shots of Moutai, China’s most famous brand of liquor, you’ll know that it can make you do some crazy things. We’re not sure whether the marketing department at the baijiu producers has been getting a little high on its own supply, but they’ve just dropped this cringe-inducing music video, entitled “Oh, It’s Moutai”:

The less-than-fire firewater track features some nice drone footage of Maotai — the town in Guizhou province that lends the drink its name — and of some young people exploring its famous distillery and the bars that surround it. But then it jumps into lyrics about foreigners not wanting to be referred to as “laowai” (a term often given in China to those hailing from the US or Europe in particular) and a perplexing nu metal-ish section, mixed with some bad lip-syncing.

Related:

Firewater Shots and Moutai Worship: A Baijiu Pilgrimage to China’s “Liquor Golden Triangle”

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Kind of crazy this sort of thing keeps happening.

Of course, Moutai is far from the first brand in China to use the medium of rap to sell its products. But if they really wanted to go that route, why not take this track from pop star Huang Zitao and actual clout rapper Bridge that was right there already?

Or there’s this example of how to engage with China’s hip hop scene from younger, cooler baijiu brand Jiangxiaobai, who linked up with GAI and friends three years ago:

GAI Returns with “Endless Flow” After Being Banned from Chinese TV

Article Mar 09, 2018

It’s not like Kweichow Moutai don’t have the money. This comes to you from the most valuable drinks brand in the world. A recent CNN article summarized the business’ worth:

“The company, which is part state-owned and part publicly-traded, is China’s most valuable firm outside of technology — worth more than the country’s four biggest banks. Globally, its market cap has not only surpassed all other alcohol distillers like Diageo and Constellation Brands, but also Coca-Cola, which had long held the crown as the world’s largest beverage maker by market cap.

“Valued at 2.7 trillion yuan, or $421 billion, Kweichow Moutai is worth more than Toyota, Nike and Disney, too.”

As one user on Chinese social media platform Weibo puts it, “This video shows that when it comes to luxury goods and global brands, Moutai is still a long way away.”

Anyway, for more adventures in bad brand raps, take a look here:

How Rap Became the Advertising Medium of Choice for China’s Brands – and Government

As soon as rap music became mainstream in China, advertising execs leapt onto the unsuspecting genre as a communication medium for young consumers

Article Sep 17, 2018

And for some actually decent Chinese hip hop, check out our recent piece on the female rappers driving the country’s rap scene forward here:

Why Female Rappers Have Become the Most Exciting Voices in Chinese Music

While a gender imbalance in hip hop music in China is still an issue, some of the most exciting rising rappers now are women

Article Feb 04, 2021