As the world's digital library, Google stresses importance of contextual knowledge within today's music. The challenge: how to make GPM's vast variety of content (each with its own hyper-individualized style) feel a part of one brand. For their social rebrand, our solution was to create a living language driven by vibrant color, centralized illustration, and clever micro-animations that illustrate the energy music brings. We created guidelines for addressing a myriad of different content buckets: from playlists to album anniversaries to sports events. As part of a larger activation, we also interviewed and attended performances of featured artists to give viewers the "inside scoop" on their favorite artists. With these tools, we united Google Play Music under one social umbrella.

We get Music. As the world's digital library, Google stresses the importance of contextual knowledge within today's music. The challenge: how to make GPM's vast variety of content (each with its own hyper-individualized style) feel a part of one brand. For their social rebrand, our solution was to create a living language driven by vibrant color, centralized illustration, and clever micro-animations that illustrate the energy music brings.

We created guidelines for addressing many different content buckets: from playlists to album anniversaries to sports events. As part of a larger activation, we also interviewed and attended performances of featured artists to give viewers the "inside scoop" on their favorite artists.

MEDIA Social / Visual Identity
ROLE Creative Direction
AGENCY Translation

COLOR

The color palette pulls a diverse range of hues inspired by Google assets and branding. The broad set of colors ranges from pastels to brights and allows for flexibility per use case. Colors are separated into Heroes, Accents, and Pastels and are used in an established ratio with pure white as the foundation.

ILLUSTRATION

For illustration, we use flat graphics with a hint of dimensionality to demonstrate interpretations of music, reactions to current events, and concepts behind playlists. Illustration is always centralized within the frame and takes from the established color palette.

TREATING ALBUM ARTWORK

We address album artwork in three ways depending on the large variation of opportunity presented by the cover art. Each is a clever play on the album’s context expressed either in the GPM frame or on the album itself. We use illustrative, photographic, or pattern treatment to tell the story of the album.

INTERVIEWS AND LIVE STREAMING

We partnered with artists and influencers to tell insider stories about the artist and their music. Content pieces include interviews and backstage sessions with Nas, Bob Powers, Migos, Kehlani, and many more.

Hands down, one of the best beefs in hip hop history was Jay Z vs Nas. The two veteran New Yorkers captivated fans as they took shots at each other, in verses, in what some might argue were some of the greatest rap battle lyrics ever written. At the time, Esco had this to say about Hov’s diss track that set off the feud: “When I heard [“Takeover”] I thought he was kind of emotional. I can hear it in voice, he was a little angry. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s really touchy when it comes to me.’ He says he’s doing well in his records, he seems to be having a good time. I’m a stone in his shoe and a thorn in his side.” Fortunately in 2005, they reconciled on stage at Jay Z’s “I Declare War” show. The timing couldn’t have been better for their track “Black Republican” on Nas’ Hip Hop Is Dead. Producers L.E.S. and Wyldfyer took a sample from a nonconventional segment of The Godfather 2’s soundtrack for the two giants to declare their hood politic speeches over. The beat ended up feeling so grand that Jay suggested to let it breathe a little before they each came in with their verses.

As a street poet, Nas not only took note of the urban underworld he lived in but also looked up to his contemporaries–the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. Nas tapped into his own “Shakespearean ghetto” to bring out all of the poignant details on his album Hip Hop Is Dead. Then it was a pleasant surprise for Nas that Ludacris rocked a t-shirt that said “HIP HOP AIN’T DEAD… IT LIVES IN THE SOUTH.” This sparked a much needed dialogue in hip hop. And now Nas sees that same conversation being extended by emcees like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Meek Mill, and J. Cole. Namely for J. Cole, Nas believes that Jermaine’s love for the game drives him to challenge people and make them appropriately uncomfortable. Real recognize real.

When you first look at the cover of Nas’ Hip Hop Is Dead, you might be overcome with a sense of fear, as if you’re about to be buried along with hip hop. But for Nas, the positioning of everything on the cover is supposed to act as a call to action. Before he throws down the rose and some dirt, the Queensbridge legend is giving you an opportunity to help revive the culture. Subconsciously, will.i.am took that choice to heart when he crafted the beat for the title track to the album. Without knowing that he had flipped a sample already used for a single — “Thief’s Theme” — on the previous Nas album Street’s Disciple, will.i.am acted as a hip hop Dr. Frankenstein. He breathed new life into the familiar sample and then threw in bits and pieces of Nas’ new vocals from studio sessions to end up with what we have today–a reminder to never let hip hop die on our watch.

When Nas released Hip Hop Is Dead 10 years ago to the day, it was by all means a provocative title that was meant to stir a debate. Some argued that the Queensbridge rapper was way off the mark, while others saw some truth in what he was saying. The combination of the mixed reactions would lead to his fourth #1 album in the states. In a new video series that we partnered with Google Play Music to create, Mass Appeal headed back into the studio with Esco to cover four aspects of this controversial album: the title, the lead single, the collaboration with Jay Z, and its place in hip hop history. In the debut clip, Nas shares the inspiration he took from De La Soul’s provocative De La Soul is Dead album. While Nas admits that he may have missed the mark with the title, he still believes that it was a good starting place.

SOCIAL FOLLOWING - Tripled.

What started as a reposting of artist albums became an integrated system of visuals that both drew in a new and younger audience while maintaining the Google brand. The end result: we were able to escalate GPM from 65k followers to 242k followers.

Check out the live visuals on the GPM Instagram: Google Play Music