Jameson, the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey[1], is rekindling its collaboration with international rap artist Bas to mentor two emerging artists to create new tracks virtually during COVID-19.
Jameson Irish Whiskey has connected the Dreamville rapper with two young musicians from Ireland and the U.S as part of its new campaign – Jameson Connects: The Stay Inn. Together, Jameson and Bas offered the artists a unique mentorship opportunity to help take their careers to the next level.
The #JamesonConnectsBas project was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This spring, Bas had planned to run a series of youth music workshops in Sudan, the country of his heritage, as a way of using his experience and expertise to inspire the next generation of musical talent and to give back to the community and culture that he loves. Unfortunately, the workshops were postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis. Instead, Bas began working with Jameson to see how he could connect with people through this period and the concept of a digital mentorship programme was born.
Bas handpicked the artists, each with a very different sound and background, based purely on their creativity, potential and originality. In recent weeks he connected with Say 3, a US-based music producer and a regular fixture on the Atlanta club scene and Sierra Leonean-Irish art-soul artist, Loah. Through a series of online workshops, the artists worked in collaboration with Bas to produce a new track.
Commenting on the project, Bas, who is famously the protégé of J Cole, explains: “Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to find myself with amazing mentors, and this is something I have always been truly thankful for. I never underestimate the impact that this has had on my journey as an artist, and I believe it is essential to open up your experiences and share your successes with other aspiring artists so that they can learn from them, and are given the same opportunities.”
Brendan Buckley, International Marketing Director at Irish Distillers, adds: “As the global leader in Irish whiskey, Jameson prides itself on bringing people and communities together. Jameson Connects: The Stay Inn is an extension of this, celebrating the diversity and talents of our whiskey fans. We are delighted to be partnering with Bas once again and look forward to following the musical journey of each of the artists.”
The project forms the next phase of the Jameson Connects: The Stay Inn platform, designed to keep spirits high as the world stays in by bringing drinks recipes, pub quizzes, merchandise giveaways and virtual gigs to Jameson fans around the world.
Fans can tune into videos from the creative process on Jameson Whiskey’s YouTube channel:
WhiskeyTalk2U 