July 17, 2018

PLANO, Texas, July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, Doritos Blaze and Busta Rhymes have fans spitting fire in more ways than one. With "Blaze The Beat," Doritos and Busta are searching for the newest hip-hop star to share the stage with a major headliner at a music festival later this summer, and potentially open doors on a new career. Oh, and the grand prize winner will take home a cool $50,000.

Earlier this year, Doritos blazed onto the hip-hop scene with a Super Bowl LII commercial featuring an epic rap battle with legends including Busta. Adding a new chapter to this #spitfire story, Doritos has collaborated with Busta to give a platform to aspiring hip-hop artists, with Busta serving as a coach and mentor to impart his wisdom as one of the fastest-rapping legends in the game. To kick it all off, Busta, producer Terrace Martin and All Def Music joined forces to create the Doritos "Blaze Beat": the first-ever hip-hop track made entirely from heat- and spice-inspired items (e.g. cooking torch, hot sauce, Doritos Blaze, etc.).

Now, Doritos and Busta are looking for YOU to spit the lyrics.

"Everyone in the country saw the Doritos Blaze Super Bowl commercial a few months ago," said Busta Rhymes, who starred in the spot with his lightning-fast lyrics from the hit song "Look at me Now." "Now I'm looking to pass the torch to the next generation of lyricists and give them a platform to showcase the fire they can spit. Can they handle it — can they top the heat I've been bringing for decades? All we know for sure is that the Doritos #BlazeStage will be on fire later this summer!"

Starting today, fans can submit their own original lyrics over the Blaze Beat at doritosblazethebeat.com and also view who has the hottest tracks. After submissions close on August 17, Busta and team will select five finalists to share the stage with a major headliner at the official Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival pre-party in Las Vegas on Thursday, September 20, 2018, on the most fire stage imaginable — the Doritos #BlazeStage. From there, Busta and team will choose one winner who will be crowned the Blaze the Beat champion with a $50,000 grand prize. The annual 3-day festival, now in its sixth year, has attracted some of the world's biggest names in music.

"The Blaze the Beat program continues Doritos' long history in music, with epic stages and performances throughout the years at major events like South by Southwest and E3," said Rachel Ferdinando, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "Now we're really looking to give back to the music community and create meaningful opportunities for aspiring musicians. Our goal is for Blaze the Beat to open doors for hip-hop artists who wouldn't otherwise get a legitimate chance for a major breakthrough."

For more information and full rules about the contest, visit Doritos.com.

About Doritos
Doritos believes there's boldness in everyone. We champion those who are true to themselves, who live life fully engaged and take bold action by stepping outside of their comfort zone and pushing the limits. Doritos is one of the many brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $14 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. 

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.  

SOURCE PepsiCo