ROCKIN' with rappers, part two: more MOTOWN excitement with Pontiac and Chrysler

(above) RIDES Mar-Apr, 2008; our man 50 and his new G8, on the cover

(below) with his 2006 Dodge Charger, what prompted his interest in the new Motown

photo by Travis Shinn

(above) Fitty, in the G8, at the Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, during SEMA week, 2008

(above) not to be outdone, here's Usher in his "Red Light" video,

looking for love in Chrysler's prototype ME 4-12 coupe

(above and three below) Chrysler's ME 4-12: is this really Motown's next wave?

(above) previous to his interest in Pontiacs,

50 Cent owned this MirraChrome(d) Lamborghini Murcielago roadster

photo by Travis Shinn

(above) Alsa Corp's MirraChrome finish, being applied

(above) Fitty and Lloyd Banks, stylin' in that shiny Lambo

photo by Travis Shinn for RIDES

(above) but hey, who's got the illest license plate in the hood? (hint . . . yer blogger)

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You realize of course, that I could meditate on rappers' cars for at least a month. But there are some interesting developments concerning hip hop's recent embrace of the latest Motown product,

which I began noting in my previous blog. Let's start with a few extra tidbits relating to 50 Cent:

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"50 Cent Appears at New York Auto Show, Debuts New Cars & Truck with Pontiac"

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Wed. 19 March 2008. "The Associated Press is reporting that G-Unit boss, 50 Cent, made a surprise appearance at the New York International Auto Show. 50 was there to help Pontiac introduce three of their brand new models to the press. He joined General Motors vice-chairman Bob Lutz on stage to debut two new cars and a two-seater sports truck. Winding Road magazine reported that 50 was apparently impressed by the new Solstice coupe which is a sleek roadster that he says goes faster than a Porsche Boxster. Pontiac also showed off its new G8 GXP and G8 sports truck, and will hold a contest to name the vehicle. The G-Unit king told the crowd that he already owns one of the trucks, and suggested that Pontiac name it "The Curtis.""

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"50 Cent Really Does Like Pontiacs"

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Posted 6-4-07 by Jonathon Ramsey at www.autoblog.com/ : "Remember when we suggested there was no way rapper 50 Cent would choose to put two Pontiacs, the G8 and the G6 GXP, in his video for "Amusement Park"? In fact, we sent so far as to say that you'd have to suspend belief in order to think that Fitty would want his girlz sliding all over Pontiacs instead of Lambo's and Bentleys.

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"Well, we were wrong. What we should have remembered is that rappers work in mysterious ways. According to a Pontiac spokeswoman, 50 saw the G6 GXP--a car that could be called "Flipper" on account of its massive, trunk-mounted fluke--and G8 at the NAIAS, and requested one of each for himself.

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"The last time we heard about 50 being pulled over, it was in a Murcielago roadster, and word is he's selling that along with his Connecticut mansion. Does his new album CURTIS and the recent Pontiac fetish herald a slower, more frugal 50 Cent?"

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"50 Cent Request Buys Charger 'Street Cred'"

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from http://www.detnews.com/ (1-18-05) : "It turns out Snoop Dogg isn't the only hip-hop artist who wants to see a new Chrysler in his garage. Chart-topping rapper 50 Cent made clear last week he's impatient to get a 2006 Dodge Charger, a four-door update of the classic muscle car that made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show last week, and goes on sale this spring. "I need to know what I gotta do to get that Charger," the rapper told Myles Kovacs, publisher of auto customizing magazine DUB, in a telephone message made available to the Detroit News. Chrysler is wasting no time getting 50 Cent what he needs, just as it did last summer when platinum-selling rapper Snoop asked Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche for a Chrysler 300 sedan, a move that paid off in reams of publicity. "Chrysler has been savvy about how they have approached the hip-hop community, letting the artists find them rather than chasing after endorsements," said Kovacs."

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"50 Cent Puts Chrome Finish on that Mur-ci-el-ago"

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from http://www.leftlanenews.com/ : "Rapper 50 Cent, the man who "put Lamborghini doors on that Es-co-lade"--has enlisted the help of Alsa Corp. to put a chrome finish on his Lamborghini Murcielago roadster. Alsa specializes in custom finishes for exotic cars."

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"50 Cent Disappointed His Bulletproof Cars Haven't Been Shot At

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from http://www.contactmusic.com/ : "Rapper 50 Cent is disappointed nobody has tried to shoot him while he's been out driving--because he spent $200,000 bulletproofing two of his cars. He recently told Blender magazine, "I have two (bulletproof vehicles), one in New York, one in L.A., and the(bulletproofing) was about 100 grant each. I'm actually disappointed though: nobody's shot me. I spent a lot of money on that s___t."

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Speaking of guns 'n rappers and car stories involving 50 (and editing a segment from his bio at Wikipedia), "50 Cent's popularity started to increase after the release of his successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob," which he wrote in a half an hour while in a car on the way to a recording studio on May 24, 2000. The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the video for "Thug Love," 50 Cent was shot, taken to the hospital, and then confined under heavy security for thirteen days. He was attacked by a gunman outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get some jewelry. On returning to the back seat of the car, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then walked up to 50 Cent's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range."

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Certainly on a much happier car-related note, another rapper, Usher, recently made noise with one of Chrysler's more obscure products . . . the ME 4-12 . . . seen moving quickly through the streets during the video for the song "Red Light," off the Usher's CONFESSIONS album.

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"It was supposed to be

Just one night

In and out and I'm out the door

So why am I sittin here

At the red light

Drivin round lookin out for her

Lookin out for her."

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According to www.allpar.com/cars/me412.html, (edited chosen bits reprinted here) "Chrysler's ME 4-12 is not a concept car, but a prototype. [Supposedly around 300 units were to be built each year]. largely with carbon, aluminum, and other lightweight metals. The car itself was being built in the United States by Metalcrafters, and we have been told that the lead engineer is from Chryslert and the lead suppliers are from North America--and that this was the outcome of battles with Stuttgart [home of Chrysler's parent, Daimler], which wanted to use European suppliers and engineers. Most of the off-the shelf-parts appear to be from Chrysler, aside from the engine. The transmission seems to be based on Chrysler, Mercedes, and other designs. The ME stands for "mid-engined." The quad-turbo, 850 bhp V-12 powered Chrysler ME 4-12 may in time establish real-world performance records, but interestingly may even now set a record for lightning-quick vehicle development. Styling was done by a young and friendly Chrysler designer, Brian Nielander, who normally designs trucks; he worked directly with engineers and aerodynamics experts to shape the interior and exterior and make sure that the engineers did not make the ME 4-12 'uncomfortable.'"

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Hopefully our man Usher did indeed find the ME 4-12 'suitably comfortable.' Nice video! Now, let's hope 50 Cent puts his newest GM product in his garage through similar paces in upcoming filming.

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Moral of this story, yo . . . at least according to some important rappers . . . Motown lives.

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