AXE® Launches "AXE The LABEL" In Partnership with SoundCloud, Lil Yachty and Zaytoven

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Breaking out in hip-hop is hard. It means countless hours grinding in your basement studio, creating fire beats and perfecting your signature flow. It's not just some hardest-working-artist hyperbole, it's fact. AXE understands this and has teamed up with SoundCloud – the world's largest, open audio platform – and artists Lil Yachty and Zaytoven to launch AXE the LABEL, giving emerging rappers and producers an opportunity to co-create with Yachty and Zay and rise from anonymity to stardom.

AXE the LABEL is the newest project from AXE, and the first in the U.S. under the new AXE Music platform that brings to life a long history of investing in aspiring artists who pour their hearts and souls into expressing themselves through music.

The first-of-its-kind contest, which allows for two phases of collaboration directly on SoundCloud, kicks off October 1 with the release of a new "ANARCHY" track from Yachty. Visit AXEtheLABEL.SoundCloud.com to hear the track, learn more details, and submit your best work.

"The old way of coming up in the game is over," said Lil Yachty. "If you got the talent and the drive, there are ways to get noticed. True music fans are on that platform, cause that's where the new wave lives. I got on when 'One Night' blew up on SoundCloud. Someone heard my track, used it in a meme and I haven't looked back. So to continue my partnership with AXE and take it back to SoundCloud is like a homecoming."

• Phase 1 of the contest (running October 1 – October 28): Fans can enter for a chance to win the first phase of the contest by submitting their best lyrics for the hook of Lil Yachty's newest track "ANARCHY" using the SoundCloud commenting feature. One winner will be chosen by Lil Yachty and will receive a co-writing credit on his track.
  
  
• Phase 2 of the contest (running October 29 – November 16): GRAMMY-award winning producer Zaytoven will share two instrumental tracks, "GOLD" and "PHOENIX," giving rappers the opportunity to flow over either track for a chance to win. Producers can enter to win by using the associated beat and stem packs to create brand-new tracks. Two rappers and seven producers will be selected by Zaytoven and a panel of music industry insiders to be featured on the playlist. Winners will receive a production credit on their final collaboration with Zaytoven.

All winners will be announced mid-November to mid-December having earned their spot on the AXE the LABEL playlist on SoundCloud, and receive their very own custom can of AXE Body Spray.

"At its core, AXE is about helping young people confidently embrace and express their true selves, so investing in aspiring creators who devote their energy to that same pursuit is something we've always been passionate about," said Dawn Hedgepeth, Vice President of Men's Grooming, Unilever. "Hip-hop artists have never settled, never confined themselves to the limits of convention, genre, or process. They've always experimented while staying true to themselves. That's what AXE the LABEL is all about."

"What's next in music is first on SoundCloud because of the incredible community of emerging creators and super fans powering the platform," said Chris Blackburn, Head of Global Sales and Partnerships, SoundCloud. "We're thrilled to partner with AXE to offer both fans and creators a unique opportunity to help create new music with two of the biggest artists in the world by leaning into the inherently social nature of SoundCloud."

To learn more about AXE the LABEL, visit AXEtheLABEL.SoundCloud.com and www.axe.com.  Follow @AXE on SoundCloud, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and share your #AXEtheLABEL moments with us.

About Lil Yachty
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American hip-hop artist. Yachty first gained widespread recognition in August 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" from his debut EP Summer Songs. His mixtapes Lil Boat and Summer Songs 2 were released in 2016, followed by his debut studio album, Teenage Emotions, in 2017, and the mixtape, Lil Boat 2, which dropped in early 2018.

About Zaytoven
Xavier Dotson, professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American record producer, DJ, artist and musician from Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for his work with Southern rap artists Gucci Mane, Migos, and Future, and has also collaborated with artists such as Usher, Lecrae, Nicki Minaj, Bankroll Fresh, and Lil Uzi Vert.

About AXE^®
AXE, the No. 1 men's fragrance brand in the world*, champions individuality and self-expression by encouraging guys to embrace their personal style. With a full line of grooming products including daily fragrance sprays, deodorants, anti-perspirants, shower gels, shampoos and styling products, AXE gives guys the tools to express what makes them unique, authentic and ultimately attractive to the world around them. Visit AXE at AXE.com and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to get access to exclusive content, special promotions, and more.

*Source Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2017 edition; as per Men's Deodorants & Men's Fragrances retail value sales combined; UBN; 2016 data; Lynx includes all AXE/Lynx/Ego sales

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Schmidt's Naturals, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington's, St. Ives, Suave, Sundial Brands, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TONI&GUY, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating more than $9 billion in sales in 2017.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan underpins the company's strategy and commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. Globally, the company's sustainable living brands are growing 50% faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 60% of the company's growth in 2016.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com

About SoundCloud
SoundCloud is the world's largest open audio platform, powered by a connected community of creators, listeners and curators on the pulse of what's new, now and next in culture. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud's mission is to empower the world's audio creators with the best tools, services and resources to build and grow their careers. With over 180 million tracks and 10 million creators heard each month across 190 countries, what's next in music is first on SoundCloud.

CONTACT:
Philip Tabak
[email protected]  
212-819-4876

SOURCE Unilever