Who is Joyner?Lucas??And what the advertising industry can learn from him.

Alright, I’ll admit it—I’m cheating a little here. This article was actually written five years ago, back in 2017, when I had some serious daddy issues with the advertising industry. Honestly, I still do in many ways, but I’m a bit wiser now. Time has a way of doing that, doesn’t it?

Let’s rewind to 2017. I was neck-deep in the world of advertising, feeling more disillusioned than a kid who just found out Santa isn’t real. But there was one thing that kept me going: music. More specifically, hip-hop. And in the midst of all the noise and mumble rap, there was a beacon of hope—Joyner Lucas.

Joyner was an absolute breath of fresh air. Fiercely independent, a true artist with substance, and—hallelujah!—a great lyricist who didn’t mumble his way through a track. He could engage an audience like few others, reminding me so much of Eminem in his early years. But what set him apart from Slim Shady was his marketing genius. Joyner knew how to play the game, how to market himself to gain views, engagement, and traction better than any other hip-hop artist at that time. He was sharp, he was smart, and he wasn’t afraid to push boundaries.

Fast forward to 2024, and while Joyner still has a solid career, he didn’t quite reach the heights of a Kendrick or a Drake. Honestly, I thought by now he’d be up there with the greats, but life had other plans. Still, the lessons he taught back then? They resonate even more today.

So, here’s to Joyner Lucas—the artist who showed us that substance and strategy don’t have to be mutually exclusive. He may not have become the next big thing, but the impact he had on me—and on the industry—will always be worth talking about.

Here's one from the archive.

THE PREQUEL

On 28 November 2017, Joyner Lucas uploads the #ImNotRacist video on YouTube.

I still remember clearly the first time I heard #ImNotRacist?, I saw the video snippets on my instagram stories feed, was instantly intrigued, did a YouTube search and i was immediately blown away.

Watch the video here.

At first I didn’t understand what I was seeing, first thoughts was like “Is this white dude really saying the n* word?”. By the end of the video, i felt a mix of happiness, confusion and relief.

Happy, for finally watching a great music video, I haven’t seen one in a while honestly. Confused, that this is a video that dropped in 2017, as I was getting brainwashed by the like mumbling rappers such as Migos. Relief, that I had something i could share to the world, and someone new to listen to. That’s the effect #ImNotRacist had on me.

This was proper hip-hop with lyrics that was inherently powerful. The instrumental was barebones, the moog chords were haunting and Joyner Lucas did not mumble through his thoughts, he was clear, emotional and refreshingly, his lyrics had no mention of drugs or bitches he supposedly bed during a party.

#ImNotRacist was something i related to, i’m not white nor am I black (Although i did grow up thinking i was one of 2Pac’s homies), but be it black, white, brown, yellow. Colours were interchangeable in #ImNotRacist. It’s a song about a conversation we all have had, or have been wanting to have. Living in Singapore, a place known with multi-racial stew of cultures, stereotypes and on-the-low racism, #ImNotRacist could’ve been an anthem in Singapore honestly. Enough so, that I wanted to dust my old mic off and spit some rhymes, and then I realised why I retired from rapping, I wasn’t that good of a rapper in my past life I guess.

I did the next best thing, I started trying to live vicariously through Joyner himself, if you can’t be him, be his biggest fan, or at least try to be I thought.

What I uncovered was pretty interesting, Joyner Lucas is probably one of the most unique artists I have ever had the chance to stalk. From the music he does, to the the way he conceptualises it and the way he distributes his message. I saw parallels in the industry I loved, Advertising, so I put 2 and 2 together, rapped quick maths and decided to write this.

So here goes…..

THIS IS THE PART ABOUT CONTEXTUAL AND EMOTIVE CONTENT

Joyner touches Taboo the way Kevin Spacey touches boys, without an ounce of regret.

First step in my journey to understand Joyner, was to discover more of his music. Loaded up Spotify, created a bunch of playlists and started the ball rolling. Joyner had a lot of music, Wikipedia states that he started his music journey somewhere in 2007 under the moniker Future Joyner. He dropped “Future” from his name because of the rise of the rapper/singer Future.?

I started seeing a pattern with his music either through his songs or through his videos. His content is thoroughly contextual and taboo. Most of his songs for better or for worst, elicit an extreme emotive response. Here are his top five original songs in terms of views;

#ImNotRacist?—?32 Million views

I’m Sorry?—?22 Million views

Ross Capicchioni - 6.5 Million views

Just Like You?—?5 Million views

Happy Birthday & Forever?—?4 Million views

He’s tackling racism, suicide awareness, gang violence, family values and unplanned parenthood in that order. There’s no glorification in any of these songs, and through these songs Joyner is doing either one of two things, he’s either giving you a strong POV of what he feels about the subject or creating a narrative or story for you to immerse yourself into when it comes to that said subject.?

I’m Sorry is a perfect example of this, a gut wrenching video about suicide told from the POV of the person killing himself and also the best friend he left the world for.

How can anyone not have any emotional response to that?

In Advertising, tackling taboo subjects or building true contextual content usually takes a backseat to cookie cutter ideation. It’s seldom we see true emotion at the crux of ideation nowadays. Since the advent and rise of Facebook, we’ve been programmed to learn how to game algorithms, we build strategies around bid prices and we A/B test the shit out of everything to get the best engagement. There’s truly nothing wrong with that, and I’m strong believer that data is the foundation of a great idea.

However, I highly doubt Joyner knows anything about fake news, programmatic buying or even testing copy on a Facebook Ad, yet he has accumulated over 50 million views in just 1 year over those 5 songs.?

Additionally #ImNotRacist reached a million views in 3 days and was prominently featured hundreds of news outlets including CNN, but an even more amazing stat is that it spawned over 500 reaction videos in just one day. Absolutely crazy numbers! So what’s the secret sauce?

All Joyner did was understand intimately what the relatable issues are to his audience, owned them bravely, no matter how taboo they were, and created strong emotive content to illicit engagement.

So what’s the lesson here;

Find the root of the human emotion and don’t be afraid to poke the shit out of it to illicit a response.

THIS IS THE PART ABOUT THE HOOK

Joyner understands how to bait an audience the same way Kim Kardashian uses her butt implants to break the internet.

So let’s be real now, when you first watched the #ImNotRacist video, how many of you thought the white guy at the start was actually Joyner Lucas? Admit it, you were probably squinting at the screen like, “Wait, this dude is really out here dropping the N-word like it’s hot?” Surprise—this wasn’t Joyner.

Thanks to the video length limitations of Instagram and Instastories, and the “blink and you miss it” nature of the 3-second scroll on Facebook, #ImNotRacist went viral like wildfire. But here’s the kicker: it wasn’t the full context that got people sharing; it was the pure shock value of seeing a white guy say the N-word within the first few seconds. If that’s not a hook, I don’t know what is.

When Joyner was asked in numerous interviews about his choice to have a white man kick off the track, he didn’t shy away. In fact, he owned it like a boss. His response? “How else would I get the attention?”

And there it is—the masterclass in audience engagement. Joyner knew exactly what buttons to push, what lines to cross, and how to get people talking. It’s a classic bait-and-hook strategy, but here’s the twist: Joyner didn’t just bait the audience—he hooked them into a deeper conversation. He knew what it took to make them stop, watch, and think. And isn’t that what we all want in advertising?

So what’s the lesson here;

Shock value grabs attention, but meaningful engagement keeps it.

THIS IS THE PART ABOUT AUTHENTICITY

Joyner Lucas keeps it real like Uncle Phil telling Will what’s up.

In an industry where everything is polished, overproduced, and sometimes faker than reality TV, Joyner’s authenticity is like a breath of fresh air in a room full of stale ads. He doesn’t sugarcoat, he doesn’t hold back, and most importantly, he doesn’t pander. He gives it to you straight, whether you’re ready for it or not.

This is something the advertising industry can definitely take notes on. We’re so obsessed with creating the perfect narrative, the perfect image, the perfect… everything, that sometimes we forget the power of raw, unfiltered authenticity. Joyner’s success shows us that sometimes, the best way to connect with an audience is to drop the pretense and just be real.

In advertising, we often chase after what we think people want to hear, instead of delivering what they need to hear. Joyner flips that script by speaking on issues that matter, issues that resonate, and issues that are often swept under the rug. And guess what? People listen. People share. People engage.

So what’s the lesson here;

Authenticity cuts through the noise—keep it real, and your audience will follow.

THE FINAL TAKEAWAY

Joyner Lucas is out here giving a masterclass in everything the advertising industry should be paying attention to. Contextual, emotive content? Check. A killer hook that grabs you by the collar and makes you watch? Check. Raw authenticity that cuts through the noise? Double check.

Joyner Lucas may not know the first thing about programmatic buying, but he sure as hell knows how to create content that resonates, that sticks, and that people can’t help but talk about. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what we’re all striving for in the advertising industry?

So here’s the deal: If you want to make an impact, if you want your audience to care, and if you want your campaigns to do more than just blend into the background noise—take a page out of Joyner’s book. Don’t just play it safe. Don’t just follow the trends. Be bold, be real, and most importantly, be willing to stir the pot.

Because if there’s one thing Joyner Lucas has taught us, it’s that sometimes the best way to get your message across is to put it in the hands of a guy who isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers.

#Advertising #Marketing #JoynerLucas #ContentCreation #Authenticity