This is an ad for G-Unit clothing company, which was founded by 50 Cent – a successful rapper – in 2003. In this image, several African American males stand around a car at night in an inner city location. It appears that the car is being loaded with large speakers. The central male stands on the car’s hood and looks down at the viewer. The slogan on this poster is “Be the Neighborhood Idol.”

discussion

How does this ad portray African American males? Describe what they are doing in this image, and what their activities, their poses, their facial expressions, and their clothing suggests to you.

Are the location and type of car significant? Why? Why not? What do they say about the socio-economic class of the men in the ad?

Who do you think this clothing is targeted to? Why?