Posted by Ludacris is typically recognized for his role in the Fast & The Furious film franchise and songs such as “Area Codes” and “Get Back.” But in a new campaign for Jif, fans can simply watch the Atlanta rap legend eat peanut butter by the spoonful.
On Monday (August 16), Jif dropped an ad spot dubbed “The Return” featuring Ludacris and 28-year-old rapper Gunna who both marvel at the magical effects the peanut butter has on Luda’s rapping abilities.
Directed by Dave Meyers, the visual starts off with Luda in the studio struggling to deliver his lines. But once he takes a bite of Jif, suddenly he’s able to master his lyrics and his hair transforms into a giant Afro. As Gunna looks on, he says, “Man, that flow crazy.”
At one point, Luda lays back in a peanut butter pool and dips a pretzel stick in it with a goofy smile on his face.
View this post on Instagram
But then Ludacris runs out of Jif as he’s about to hit the stage and looks momentarily lost. Thankfully, Gunna is there to save the day with another jar.
“Those who know me know I am a die-hard peanut butter lover – I even have it on my rider,” Luda said in a statement. ” The opportunity to bring together two things I love – Jif peanut butter and hip hop music – was a creative challenge I just couldn’t pass up.
“I’ve been anticipating getting back into the studio for a while now and I saw this as a cool way to merge the best of my roots, inspired by the amazing sounds from artists like Gunna, to see what new-to-the-world magic I could create.”
Collaborating with Ludacris was a dream come true for the Young Stoner Life Records artist.
“Working with Ludacris was a great experience,” Gunna tells HipHopDX. “Not only is he a legendary artist, but he’s an amazing actor as well. Seeing him kill it on set, scene after scene, was really inspiring to me. And as a rapper myself, he’s someone I’ve always looked up to.
“Seeing talent like that born out of the same part of Atlanta — we even went to the same high school — just made me even more proud of the city I’m from. We got that heat! There’s so much amazing talent here and I’m glad that JIF gave us the opportunity to show that off.”
Ice-T Explains How Body Count’s ‘Cop Killer’ Almost Killed His Endorsement Hustle
Endorsements have been fruitful endeavors for rappers, especially as of late. From Snoop Dogg’s campaigns with Tostitos and General Insurance to Ice-T’s ad spots with TIDE, there’s a lot of money to be made in the commercial space. Gunna is simply grateful he was given the chance to dip his toes in the water with JIF.
“I’ve been grinding for years, coming up in the Hip Hop game — dropping hit after hit, partnering with Young Stoner Life Records and working on personal projects in between,” he says. “With JIF, I was given a platform to expand my image into a more commercial space and it’s only going to take me to new levels. I’m hyped to see where things go.”
In addition to the campaign, Jif will also be donating $25,000 to the Boys & Girls Club on behalf of Ludacris. To coincide with the video, Ludacris and Gunna have dropped a collaborative single called “Butta ATL” as well.
Check it out below.