Publicis and Sony Music Entertainment France Sign Unique Partnership Focused on Hip-Hop Culture

Publicis Conseil, Prodigious and Sony Music Entertainment France join forces through an unprecedented collaboration in order to support artists of urban culture in the creative exploration of their artistic projects.

"Hip hop is an essential cultural movement. As a key player in the music industry, we need to ensure that brands are aware of its potential. Innovative and proactive, our Synchro department recognises this, which is why this collaboration is obvious." explains Marie-Anne Robert, president Sony Music Entertainment France. 

"Urban culture is the new pop culture. As a creative agency and cultural actor, we must be at the heart of new cultures. It is with this approach and desire to explore it in the creative process that we wanted to initiate this partnership with Sony Music Entertainment France and Prodigious.” analyses Alexandra Evan, vice-president Publicis Conseil.  

In this trio, Sony Music Entertainment France presents its catalogue of hip-hop artists and supports them in their development and awareness strategies. Publicis Conseil provides its strategic expertise and Prodigious shares its own expertise in the production of creative ideas. 

Co-construction work which opens up new creative possibilities and explores new areas of expression for artists who launch or develop their careers with fresh and innovative ideas. 

"Nowadays, the music and artists of urban culture are insufficiently mediatized compared to the importance and power of this culture. We are delighted to make this partnership a reality, as it is a great encounter between the world of music and the world of communication." adds Christophe Caurret, music creative director Publicis France and co-head art and stories by Prodigious.

A creative exploration of urban music, new pop culture

The world of hip-hop is an essential part of pop culture. The first creative focus of this collaboration is the production of the new video clip by French rapper Benjamin Epps. In this title, the artist from the RCA label, talks about his fears and doubts about watching himself of their future. Environmental economic, diplomatic and health crises leave their generation with a bleak and fragile future. At a time when this 25-year-old artist has just welcomed his first child, the question of his survival in this uncertain world has become an obsession for him.

In his video, Benjamin Epps faces camera, ages as he chain verses to finish thanks to artificial intelligence with the face of a 90-year-old man. 

The video was creatively designed by Publicis Conseil and then directed by Prodigious, the market production leader. For the occasion, he combined production strategy, craft and innovation, including the use of a new aging technique by AI. "In this partnership, everyone contributes the very best of their expertise. Thanks to today’s new technologies and the power of artificial intelligence, we were able to age Benjamin EPPS" completes Christopher Thiery, co-president of Prodigious. This technical feat serves and reinforces the creative idea of the video and strong lyrics of Benjamin Epps. 

An approach also supported by Marco Venturelli, chairman of Publicis Conseil, who concludes: "The chosen approach amplifies the concept. For Benjamin’s aging, we wanted to be as close as possible to reality and we worked on artificial intelligence down to the last detail from several photos of the artist’s family."

Com’ x hip hop

This partnership uniting art, creativity and innovative production is creating a new bridge between the world of communication and that of music. By positioning themselves as a cultural agent, Publicis Conseil and Prodigious are propelling culture into the heart of their DNA. As a result, they took part in the rise of this young talent, the first French rapper to win a trophy at the prestigious American hip-hop music festival BET Awards.