Coors Light® and Ice Cube Search for the "Coldest" MC in the Country

CHICAGO, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Coors Light® is partnering with hip-hop pioneer Ice Cube for the Coors Light Search for the Coldest program, a national talent search for the best MC in the country. Garnering more than 140,000 online votes in 2011, its inaugural year, the program is quickly becoming a platform for up-and-coming MCs to showcase their skills to a broad, national audience.

"I've had the opportunity to grow my career into many areas, but hip-hop is where it all began for me," said Ice Cube. "As a fresh and innovative brand, Coors Light is a natural fit with the hip-hop community, so I'm excited to partner with Coors Light to find the next Coldest MC in the country."

Coors Light Search for the Coldest will include a regional tour and competition featuring high-octane concerts with celebrity appearances and performances. MCs will compete to make it to the finale in New York City, where hip-hop heavy hitters Ice Cube, DJ Drama and DJ Khaled will decide who will be crowned 2012's Coldest MC. The grand prize winner will receive the opportunity to develop a single track by a celebrity producer, studio time and their song featured on the Coors Light Search for the Coldest Mix tape. Last year, PyInfamous was crowned the Coldest MC and opened for hip-hop acts N.E.R.D. and Pac Div in New Orleans during the ESSENCE® Music Festival.

"Coors Light is known as The World's Most Refreshing Beer and hip-hop has always been about what's fresh and new in music. Who better than Ice Cube, a hip-hop pioneer, to help Coors Light identify the Coldest upcoming MC?" says Mwanza Lumumba, brand manager, Coors Light African American marketing. "We're proud to design a program that recognizes aspiring artists within the hip-hop community."

Coors Light Search for the Coldest also continues its partnership with OurStage, a leading destination for new music discovery, who provides opportunities for emerging artists to open for, be mentored by, or collaborate with established artists. The website, www.SearchForTheColdest.com, will allow hip-hop fans to vote for the artist they believe should advance to the final round of the competition. Fans will also have the chance to win daily prizes, including trips to the ESSENCE Music Festival, and the Search for the Coldest grand finale in New York City.

Contest Overview:

Contestant Submissions: April 1 – May 15

The competition begins with online submissions in which emerging MCs upload an audio track or video of an original composition to www.SearchForTheColdest.com, between April 1 and May 15, to be voted on by fans and celebrity judges.

Voting: April 1 – July 10

Legal-drinking-age consumers can vote for their favorite MC from April 1 – July 10, and the top contestants will be selected to perform in the semifinals.

Semifinalists

Eight semifinalists will be chosen through both online submissions and via live performances in select markets.  The final eight will fall into the following categories:

• New York-based semifinalist, chosen via online submission
• New Orleans-based semifinalist, chosen via online submission
• Video channel semifinalist, best video submitted
• Best live-performance challenge in Baltimore on June 20
• Best live-performance challenge in Philadelphia on June 21
• Best live-performance challenge in Atlanta on June 28
• Best live-performance challenge in Charlotte on June 30
• Wild card semifinalist, best MC among all other markets

The semifinal events will feature celebrity appearances and performances. All eight semifinalists will make it to the grand finale in New York City for a chance to be crowned Coldest MC.

Grand Finale: July 26

Contest finalists will battle it out in New York City. Celebrity judges Ice Cube, DJ Drama and DJ Khaled will select the contestant who will be crowned the Coldest MC and awarded the grand prize.

For competition rules and details, visit http://www.SearchForTheColdest.com.

About MillerCoors

Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in the United States, capturing nearly 30 percent of beer sales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of brands across every major industry segment.  The portfolio is led by the company's premium light brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite and Miller64.  Coors Light, the World's Most Refreshing Beer, offers consumers refreshment as cold as the Rockies.  Miller Lite established the American light beer category in 1975, offering beer drinkers a light beer that tastes like beer should.  Miller64 is 64 calories of crisp, light taste that complements a balanced lifestyle. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light.  Tenth and Blake Beer Company, MillerCoors craft and import division, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisc. and two microbreweries, the Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America through great people changing the way America enjoys beer. MillerCoors builds its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and sustainable environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.

SOURCE MillerCoors