As we prepare for Black Friday, T-Pain and Normani are doing their part to highlight and celebrate Black business owners.
The artists teamed up with Google for their second annual Black Owned Friday campaign to write and perform an original song to accompany a short film. The video features 100 products from more than 50 Black-owned brands.
“This year, I’m proud to join Google and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. for another year of encouraging shoppers to support Black-owned businesses,” T-Pain said in a blog post. “And I was especially excited to write a new track to celebrate Black-owned businesses.”
In the film, comedian Desi Banks starts out by saying “it’s Black Friday,” as the song begins with T-Pain rapping lyrics about the importance of shopping Black-owned and some of the hardships that Black entrepreneurs face as they build their brands.
The video then cuts to Desi and Normani in a staged infomercial-like segment similar to QVC or the Home Shopping Network.
“We brought the track to life with a film directed by Daps, featuring me, Normani, Desi Banks, Tanerélle and actual business owners,” the Nappy Boy rapper and producer said. “The best part? The video is shoppable with more than 100 products from more than 50 Black-owned businesses.”
Items and brands featured in the video include: Browndages skin-tone bandages for Black and brown people, boots by designers Chelsea Paris and Neon Cowboys, Blk and Bold Coffee, as well as a coffee table from Woodward Throwbacks.
You can check out the full list of items and businesses here.
Google is also making it easier for travelers and people everywhere to find and support Black-owned businesses across the country. You can discover more Black-owned businesses on Google with searches like “Black-owned shops near me” or “Black-owned restaurants near me,” or look out for the icon on Google Search, Maps and Shopping listings.
You can watch the full Black Owned Friday video below: