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List of most frequently mentioned brands in the Billboard Top 20

The following is a list of most frequently mentioned brands in the Top 20 songs from the Billboard Hot 100. This list of brands was produced by Agenda Inc., a brand management consultancy, as part of their American Brandstand project

Agenda Inc. compiled the list for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Some critics have speculated that it will be revealed that artists were paid to include certain brands in their songs, particularly as some brands make suspiciously large "jumps" from year to year (e.g. Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Jaguar between 2003 and 2004; Louis Vuitton and Nike between 2004 and 2005).

2003

Rank	Brand	Number of mentions
1	Mercedes	112
2	Lexus	48
3	Gucci	47
4	Cadillac	46
5	Burberry	42
6	Prada	39
7	Cristal	37
8	Hennessy	35
9	Lamborghini	34
10	Chevrolet	33

Of the 111 songs in the Billboard Top 20 for 2003, 43 (38.7%) had brands in the lyrics. Only one of those, Good Charlotte's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, was not connected to hip hop or R&B.

2004

Rank	Brand	Number of mentions	Rank movement from 2003
1	Cadillac	70	+3
2	Hennessy	69	+6
3	Mercedes	63	-2
4	Rolls-Royce	62	Did not chart in 2003
5	Gucci	49	-2
6	Jaguar	37	+65
7 (tie)	Chevrolet	28	+3
7 (tie)	Cristal	28	+0
9	Bentley	26	-2
10	Maybach	25	+24

In 2004, Kanye West led the pack in brand-name-dropping, citing 19 different brands in his four hits for the year. As in 2003, brands remained heavily connected to hip-hop. Only one brand was mentioned in a Top 20 non hip-hop song (Levi Strauss in "With You" by Jessica Simpson).

Of the 105 songs in the Billboard Top 20 for 2004, 42 (40%) had brands in the lyrics.

2005

Rank	Brand	Number of mentions	Rank movement from 2004
1	Mercedes	100	+2
2	Nike	63	+9
3	Cadillac	62	-2
4	Bentley	51	+5
5	Rolls-Royce	46	-1
6	Hennessy	44	-4
7	Chevrolet	40	+0
8	Louis Vuitton	35	+42
9	Cristal	28	-1
10	AK-47	33	+4

In 2005, 50 Cent cited 20 different brands in seven songs making him the biggest name-dropper. As in 2003, brands remained heavily connected to hip-hop. Brands were mentioned in more pop songs, such as Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl", which mentioned high fashion brands including Vivienne Westwood and Galliano, and Mariah Carey's "It's Like That" and "Shake It Off", which mentioned brand names including Bacardi, Calgon and Louis Vuitton.

Of the 106 songs in the Billboard Top 20 for 2005, 36% had brands in the lyrics.

It should be noted that AK-47 is technically a model and not a make. It would be more appropriate for inclusion on this list if the artists referred to the manufacturer. Such as Izmash (Kalashnikov's own brand), Norinco, Zastava, or Arsenal Arms.