Keith Sweat Sings For McNuggets |

Keith Sweat Sings For McNuggets

I will admit to loving McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets as a kid. Gimme a six-piece with some sweet-and-sour and honey on the side, and I was in heaven! As an adult, I’ve become more health conscious and have slowed down considerably on my fast food consumption, but for Keith Sweat, old habits die hard.

As part of a promotion for the 25th anniversary of the McNugget, the R&B singer has dedicated a song to the crispy treats using his latest single “Suga Suga” and is inviting his fans to “share his passion” for a chance to win his new CD and prizes from McDonald’s.

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All corniness aside, Keith is obviously getting more than a few extra BBQ sauces as compensation, but it got me thinking. With the lines between art and commerce almost completely blurred, when does an artist’s endorsement deal make them a sell-out?

After Rihanna’s “Umbrella” spent seven weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100, the folks at Totes designed a line of umbrellas specifically for the Bajan beauty. The move not only made sense as a product tie-in, but it also boosted sales of her album Good Girl Gone Bad and the company’s other products.

And the campaign wasn’t accidental.

The singer’s management and reps at Def Jam were upfront in going after key branding opportunities shortly after she got signed and eventually scored her deals with Nike, J.C. Penney, and Nokia.

In fact, with fewer acts going platinum these days, artists and their camps would be remiss not to look at other revenue streams. Ne-Yo and Chris Brown used their pop sensibilities to revamp the Doublemint theme earlier this year, Questlove of The Roots landed his own Nike Air Force 1’s, and Beyonce shilled for Loreal and Tommy Hilfiger.

But for others, the ride down Madison Avenue isn’t always a smooth one.

T.I.’s recent gun bust famously got him dropped from Chevy’s ads, and Akon’s onstage romp with an underage fan caused Verizon to do the same. And while TAG body sprays made headlines with their launch of an entire label headed by Jermaine Dupri, they’ve yet to turn that buzz into any significant radio presence or sales for its first signee, Q Da Kid.

So, is Keith Sweat a savvy business man for whining singing about chicken or just playing himself? After all, his tune couldn’t be any worse than these:

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets commercial