Coors Light^® has launched a national competition for the Coldest MC in America. ‘Search for the Coldest’ gives the next generation of MCs a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their skills online, in the studio, and before large crowds.

Aspiring MCs can upload their best original track to www.searchforthecoldest.com by May 1 to join the online campaign where fans will vote their favorites into a semifinal round. The top winners from four geographic regions (North, South, Midwest and West) will open for N.E.R.D. and Pac Div during the ‘Search for the Coldest’ tour in Atlanta, New York City and Baltimore. Tickets will not be sold for these events but consumers can win tickets through radio and on-premise promotions.

Grammy-award winning producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, and DJ Khaled, producer, radio personality and founder of We the Best Music Group, will join Pac Div to judge contestants leading up to the final round. In addition to earning the title of ‘Coldest MC 2011,’ the winner will open for N.E.R.D. and Pac Div on July 2 at the Coors Light event during the ESSENCE Music Festival weekend, in New Orleans.

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, partnered with Coors Light on the ‘Search for the Coldest’ program to provide this opportunity with artists N.E.R.D. and Pac Div. UMG is also providing the winner with $10,000 of studio time to record a new track.

Coors Light fans who aren’t MCs can also take part in ‘Search for the Coldest’ through a fan appreciation sweepstakes. Music lovers who vote for their favorite performers online at www.searchforthecoldest.com may enter to win more than $50,000 in prizes. Daily prize giveaways include Universal Music Group music downloads for exclusive tracks, T-shirts, MP3 players, headphones. Five lucky voters will receive airfare and hotel accommodations for two to the 2011 ESSENCE Music Festival, July 1-3, in New Orleans.