IndiaPost.com - Desi Challenge

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: A desi rapper band called "Soul Tap Squad" is one of the three bands vying for online votes which will select a winning band to play its 60-second music video during the Super Bowl XLII broadcast on Fox next month. The Doritos brand had recently announced the three unsigned group and solo artists voted by fans nationwide to be finalists in the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" challenge.

In October 2007, Doritos invited undiscovered musicians across the country to submit an audio and video performance of an original song that is, like Doritos tortilla chips, inspired by the musician's passion and creativity based on his or her own bold or intense experiences.

After the "top ten" semi-finalists were selected by a panel of judges including Grammy-award winning musician, songwriter and producer will.i.am, Jack Joseph Puig, A&R Executive Vice President and Producer for Geffen Records, and Ryan O'Donnell, A&R Executive for Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA) and the Doritos team, online fan votes cast between Dec 17 and Dec 31, 2007 determined the top three.

"Soul Tap Squad" features lead rapper Nivla, a 27-year old New Yorker who is leading a South Asian musical movement by rapping with style and lyrics that fuse his Indian roots with American culture. Nivla's dream is to bring his music to the masses and change the world, and being selected by fans as a Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" finalist puts him one huge step closer to that goal.

As the first Indian rapper to be featured in XXL magazine, Nivla shares the limelight with his larger music group, which includes P. Oberoi who is featured in their song, "Be Easy (Koi Naa)." This original record is a feel good, party song that blends Soul Tap's unique sound with the sounds of a dancehall.

"The talent discovered in this music challenge is hands down some of the best I've ever seen and heard," said will.i.am. "These artists are ready to go on tour." The two other finalists are Kina Grannis of Austin, Texas; and Landon Austin of Dallas, Texas: "Waitin" Now through Jan 27, desi fans of Doritos chips and of desi music anywhere in North America can vote for "Soul Tap Squad" at www.snackstrongproductions.com to ensure its original song airs as a music video in a commercial break during the Super Bowl XLII to be broadcast on Fox on Feb 3, 2008.

In addition to having their "big break" on one of the world's largest stages, the winner will also receive a record deal with IGA. The three finalists will each be awarded $10,000 and a trip to Phoenix to attend the Doritos Super Bowl party.

"The fans have spoken and we are thrilled to take Kina, Landon and Nivla one step closer to the opportunity of a lifetime," said Ann Mukherjee, group vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. "This was never about finding the next Doritos jingle. From day one, we were on a quest to discover new talent and open doors to help launch careers."

The "Crash the Super Bowl" campaign is the evolution of the Doritos brand allowing consumers to be in control. In 2007, the Doritos brand aired two consumer-created commercials during Super Bowl XLI as part of the first Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" challenge.

These two ads kicked-off the first-ever consumer-created Doritos brand television ad campaign, in which all five of the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" finalists' ads aired on national television.

Frito-Lay North America is the $10 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo.