If Rick Ross and Lil Wayne have taught us anything, it’s that you had better watch your filthy mouth, because it could very well hurt your pockets. But they aren’t the first celebrities to get the boot from a company for acting a complete donkey. Or in the case of some of the celebrities on this list, for just being themselves. Here are 10 who lost lucrative endorsement deals over the years because of their antics.

Chris Brown

It still makes me sad to think about how on top of the world Chris Brown USED to be. Back in 2008, he was the guy every mom wanted their young daughters to date, and he was blowing everybody’s mind with his great dance moves and catchy songs. But then that terrible altercation occurred the night before the Grammys in February of 2008, and his fame was forever altered. And of course, he was also hit in the pockets. Brown was dropped as the spokesperson for Wrigley’s gum, and while you might say, “Who cares about some Doublemint Gum?” if it wasn’t for writing jingle for the company, we would never have “Forever” (“Double your pleasure, double your fuuuuuun…”).

Will.i.am and Johan Jervoe, VP of sales and marketing at Intel. Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision for Intel/AP Images

BlackBerry continues to spiral into the abyss of electronics past. Desperate to escape the Narnia of cassette tapes and floppy disks that exists in the back of our closets, the wireless devices company turned to one woman… Alicia Keys? News of the pop singer’s new gig as creative director of the company formerly know as RIM was met with head scratches and punchlines.

It’s not that we don’t want to see Alicia be great, despite her refusal to let “Girl on Fire” die. This announcement just doesn’t seem as special, or make as much sense, as the company’s press release would like us to believe.

Brands’ work with celebrities used to be simpler. They cut the check; the famous person holds their product and speaks their praises. Now brands don’t just want a campaign, they want to give the celeb an office too. Brand partnerships are all the rage. Celebs are getting titles business school graduates would kill for like “chief creative officer” and “chief innovator.”

How Did We Get Here?

Ad Age has an idea of why companies are so keen to jump on a trend that’s already feeling overdone:

Styling celebrities as ambassadors is an attempt to position the tie-up as more authentic at a time when consumers have become more cynical about endorsements. “There’s a greater authenticity that comes with having a celebrity influencing the business so that it’s not just a face on the brand. … Everyone knows what a brand endorsement is. You can pay a celebrity to say anything.

Some companies get it right. Budweiser’s partnership with Jay-Z seemed odd at first, but who better to breathe new life into the brand’s then-defunct music festival than the reigning king of mainstream hip hop? P. Diddy’s work with Ciroc was a more obvious pairing. His playboy lifestyle legitimized the liquor brand.

When Right Goes Wrong

How can music producer Will.i.am really innovate in the multinational semiconductor chip market for Intel? Lady Gaga is stylish, but Polaroid may have benefited more from working with someone who creates amazing images rather than inspires them. And what about the king of this trend, Key’s husband Swizz Beatz? What have Monster, Lotus, Reebok, and Mega-Upload gained from his involvement?

If companies are going to spend the money to hire celebrities, they should treat them like any other applicant and make sure they possess relevant experience that adds value to the brand. Customers are savvy enough to see the motives behind these partnerships. Just like a desperate girl in the club, businesses resorting to shallow tactics in their thirst for the limelight will just turn people off.

Hype should be the side effect of your decisions, not the goal. Providing a genuinely valuable service or product is still the key success. No one cares who the creative director is as long as the product’s good. If the product’s good, and the creative director happens to be a pop culture icon, well that’s hype worth believing in.

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C. Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City, perfecting living the fierce life at The Red Read. She is at your service on Twitter (@CleveInTheCity) and Facebook (/MyReadIsRed). 

Image: Lewis/Starlite/Picturegroup via AP IMAGES

No shock here: Oprah Winfrey lands atop the Forbes list of “Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Women” banking $165 million. OWN is coming into its own with help from Iyanla Vanzant and more people have access to the station. All good things for “America’s only African-American billionaire.” (“Wow!” on that statement right there.)

What is surprising — at least to us — is Rihanna at number four with $53 million. The magazine attributes the showing to, naturally, her hit music including “We Found Love,” but also a rigorous touring schedule that took her to 85 shows, her perfume Reb’l Fleur and endorsement deals, among them Nivea and Vita Coco.

Has anyone smelled Rihanna’s perfume? I don’t even know that I’ve seen it in stores. The Vita Coco ads have been around, but if asked, I wouldn’t have remembered she did anything with Nivea. Actually, besides the music, I remember Rihanna most for her videos and her constant appearances on websites, red carpets and, now, her big Oprah interview. So much money was on that couch.

What’s crazy is that our writer Ann Brown reminded me that Rihanna sued her former accountants over the summer for breach of contract and negligence, alleging that they “squandered” millions of her dollars and got her audited. So she’s saying she should actually have more millions if not for their bad dealings.

Rihanna is tied on the list with Ellen DeGeneres, who is a spokesperson for Cover Girl and JC Penney, and has a hit daytime show. The two top names like Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry.

I’m amazed by the Rihanna news mostly because I thought maybe Nicki Minaj or Beyonce would be on the list. True, Beyonce was busy becoming a mom over the past year, which slowed her down a bit. But Nicki Minaj seems to be everywhere — in Pepsi ads, on awards shows, and on this video giving Mariah Carey the what for. Oh. Next year could be Nicki’s time now that she’s on American Idol and has a perfume of her own on the shelves.

Her fans are the ones that have taken Rihanna to the top of this list, and she has millions of them on Facebook, Twitter and everywhere else. So even if someone like me is a little out of the loop and missed a perfume here or an advertisement there, there are others adding to her bank account.

BTW, Judge Judy is on the list. Get a gavel and a bad attitude readers and maybe you can make it to Forbes next year.

Image: IndyStar.com

All controversy aside, Gabby Douglas is a hot commodity. The first African American to win Olympic gold in the women’s all-around competition. A gold medalist with the Fab Five of team USA in these London games. A smile that lights up a room. And a charm that’s won everyone over. She’s got it all going on right now.

She’s also about to get a mountain of cash from endorsement deals.

“The gymnast is a multicultural marketing dream—with her roots in Virginia, and a brief Iowa upbringing. She’s the perfect endorser for family orientated products and brands with middle-American values,” BlackEnterprise.com reports.

Her appeal has spread to social media, with the Olympic star getting major buzz.

“She has captivated a global audience and viewers can’t ignore her steadfast drive. It’s evident that her years of hard work, sacrifice and sweat have ultimately paid off,” the article continues. Read more about the marketing success that awaits Douglas here.

By Gresham Harkless

Athletes make more money than a lot of people would ever dream of in their lifetimes. Even with these large contracts, however, there is no guarantee that after their playing careers have ended, these men and women will hold on to their wealth.  But rather than leave their futures to chance, some athletes balance what they do on the court or field with business endeavors.  The Atlanta Post takes a look at ten African-American athletes from the present and past that easily transition from their jumpsuits to business suits.

Carmelo Anthony

While Melo’s childhood dream of playing for the New York Knicks may have had nothing to do with money, the opportunity is likely to prove lucrative.  His move from Denver to New York is going to open up countless endorsement opportunities. One of the first came in the form of a 128-foot Boost Mobile billboard mounted two blocks from Madison Square Garden.  One day after Anthony was traded, VH-1 announced that they would air a reality show featuring Anthony and his wife La La Vasquez.  Melo is also signed to Michael Jordan’s Jumpman brand.

(Black Voices) — They say it’s lonely at the top, but not for supercouple Jay-Z and Beyonce. While there’s always talk about Jay-Z’s business savvy, his better half is also a mogul in her own right.  Beyonce’s recent ’I Am…World Tour’ DVD, released last November, is already an international best seller. It went double platinum in a week and was the best-selling music DVD of 2010 — remember it was only released in November. B’s earning potential seems limitless and could soon match Jay-Z’s estimated $450 million net worth in just a few years. Here’s a look at how the “Beyonce Effect” translates into major dollars for the Carter household.

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