Skepta announced a Collaboration with Rum giants, Havana Club, on the 15th of July. The spirit will be available in convenience stores nationwide.
The Havana Club 7 x Skepta packs a punch, with an ABV of 40%. It is available in 70 cl bottles at a RRP of £24.99. The British icon took to Instagram to announce the collaboration. He uploaded a video which depicts the rapper strolling through the streets of Havana, before cutting to a scene of him buying a bottle of his own produce from a London corner shop. The focus of the collaboration is cultural fusion, confirmed by Skepta’s simple caption:’LAGOS/ HAVANA/ LONDON’. The bottle’s label fuses Havana Club’s classical Cuban style with artwork from the artist’s Nigerian Yoruba background. ‘Skepta’ is emblazoned triumphantly on the crown of the label. The promotional clip centres around notions of a cultural fusion, stating that ‘we are all linked by universal spirits‘ and that the collaboration celebrates ‘community‘, ‘from Havana to London and beyond‘.
View this post on InstagramLAGOS / HAVANA / LONDON – @havanaclub x SKEPTA in stores now. Drink responsibly.
Marketing Director at Pernod Ricard UK, Raja Banerji, detailed the reasons behind the collaboration. Banerji explained that ‘Rum is the second fastest growing spirits category‘, and Havana Club has had ‘double digit value growth across the off-trade‘. They sought out Skepta for collaboration in order to use his to platform ‘to recruit younger consumers’. The brand aimed to ‘be driving relevance and credibility at a grass roots level with key consumers‘ and saw Skepta, ‘with his 3.7 million monthly listeners‘ as the perfect outlet.
Banerji also revealed that the rum will initially only be available in convenience stores, in order to give local retailers a boost. The product will be available nationwide at a later date. The idea behind this scheme was to pay homage to the stores that become ‘the beating heart of their community’, in inner-city area such as Skepta’s native Tottenham.
Skepta’s latest collaboration cements his iconography. There is no doubt that Havana Club is a global brand, and they have sought out the services of the rapper to increase its popularity. Their choice emphasises Skepta’s global fame and outreach. The project champions global unity and community amongst young people. Havana Club want the same diverse range of people to enjoy their drinks, the same way in which they enjoy Skepta gritty, distinctive, London sound.
View this post on InstagramHAVANA CLUB / SKEPTA @stephen.tayo @haiimmanu @havanaclub in stores now.
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