A Complete History Of Hip-Hop Sneaker Deals

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It's no secret that hip-hop has immense marketing power — after all, it's basically the only genre that can essentially name-drop a brand and allow it to be prolific and profitable. Big companies have recognized this; now it's no longer uncommon for a rapper to endorse a brand or to become a spokesperson for a product. Furthermore, sneakers and hip-hop go together like peanut butter and jelly (see: A History of Sneakers on Old School Hip-Hop Albums), which is why it has become increasingly popular to see a rapper with their own signature shoe or a sneaker taking influence from a classic hip-hop album or group. So, in the wake of Rick Ross signing to Reebok, Lil' Wayne partnering with SUPRA and Kanye's Nike Air Yeezy II soon to come, we took a look back at A Complete History Of Hip-Hop Sneaker Deals.

run dmc

Run-DMC Signed By adidas

When: 1986

After sporting adidas for years, simply for the love of the brand and without remuneration, Run-DMC was looking to take things further. Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen invited adidas executive Angelo Anastasio to see Run-DMC perform their hit song "My Adidas" at Madison Square Garden. Witnessing thousands of fans holding up their adidas footwear whilst chanting the words to the song drove Anastasio to initiate the plans for a million-dollar endorsement deal. This deal was the first of its kind and certainly laid the groundwork for future marketing and business relationships in hip-hop.

ll cool j

LL Cool J Puts In Work For TROOP

When: 1986

If you thought FUBU was LL Cool J's first foray into hip-hop sportswear, think again. Chock-full of high-tops, gold detailing and hard-to-miss branding, TROOP exemplified mid-80s hip-hop and was endorsed by its elite.

mc hammer

British Knights Hooks-Up With MC Hammer, Royally

When: 1990

Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, British Knights resisted the industry norm of endorsing an athlete and instead decided to align itself with the hip-hop lifestyle. With Hammer at the height of his career and popularity, British Knights entered into a $138 million endoresement deal to further its desired image. A deal like that is certainly 2 legit.

shockg

Nike Taps Into The Underground

When: 1994

With Michael Jordan retired, Nike still had to figure out a way to keep him relevant. So for this classic commercial, they paired him with the still-active (and always belligerent) Charles Barkley. To keep the peace between the longtime friends and rivals, they tapped Digital Underground leader Shock G — not exactly a household name, but a perfect fit nonetheless.

master p

Master P Takes The Court In The Converse MP

When: 1999

Back in '99, Master P was ballin' for real. Having made the preseason roster for the Charlotte Hornets, Converse hooked up with the No Limit general to help make his hoop dreams a reality. Unfortunately, they became the butt of one of Lloyd Banks' most popular punchlines. :/

jadakiss

Jadakiss Crosses Over

When: 2001

Not that Allen Iverson's signature Reeboks needed much help moving off shelves — or that Iverson needed any more street cred — but in 2001 Reebok paired AI with Jadakiss in a series of commercials for the Answer V and Answer VI that brought Reebok's relationship with music to a whole new level. Others tried hard to follow — And1 got Styles P to rhyme for a KG joint — but no one did it better than 'Kiss.

rakim

Rakim Has Always Been Classic

When: 2002

Before Swizz Beatz, before Rick Ross, even before Jay-Z and 50 Cent, Rakim Allah was down with the Vector. The ad proclaimed him a "Lyrical Classic," and truer words have never been printed.

jayz

Jay-Z Expands With S. Carter Collection By Rbk

When: 2003

In a time where Hov had everyone wearing button-up dress shirts and sneakers, Reebok strategically tapped into the Shawn Carter Midas touch in order to move some sneakers — and move sneakers they did. Under its Rbk imprint, Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok, while the S. Carter became the fastest-selling shoe in Reebok history.

50 cent

50 Cent Pushes G-Unit Sneakers

When: 2003

There were three things most of us thought when we first saw the video for "Wanksta". 1) 50 Cent is awesome. 2) Damn, who is that girl with the plush ass? 3) Where can we get our hands on those G-Unit sweats!? A couple years later, 50 Cent's G-Unit Clothing Company proved to be just as viable, as Reebok gave it a signature shoe under its Rbk sub-label to go along with said sweats.

birdman

Birdman Introduces The "Birdman"

When: 2004

If anyone can make Lugz happen, it's Baby. Literally one of the most influential people in hip-hop, it's no wonder Lugz figured Birdman could help their brand take flight.

snoop

Snoop Sells Doggy Biscuitz With Pony

When: 2005

While Snoop may be known for rocking Chuck Taylors, and may have more notably and recently joined forces with adidas Originals, it's Snoop Dogg's sneaker line with Pony that ultimately made for a more legendary sneaker deal. Inspired by Tha Doggfather's canine aesthetic and classic Pony design, Snoop's Doggy Biscuitz consisted of the Snoopadoopa, Snoopafly, Snoopalicious and the Snoopaslide models.

game

Game Westside Connects With 310 Motoring

When: 2005

Fresh off a split from G-Unit, it's probable that Game figured he could show up 50 and Reebok by flexing his own entrepreneurial acumen. However, two years after the release of G-Unit Sneakers, Game's "Hurricanes" seemed to be too little, too late and never quite picked up enough wind speed.

pharrell

Pharrell Williams Launches Ice Cream

When: 2005

Back in '05, Pharrell linked up with BAPE founder, Nigo, to create the two streetwear brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. Due to many setbacks formed by disputes between Reebok and Pharrell relating to the Ice Cream sneaker line, the brand never quite lived up to its star-powered potential.

nelly

Nelly's Reebok Derrty One

When: 2006

Reebok saw how Nelly flipped "Air Force Ones" and figured "Maybe he can sell two pair, here?" The idea sounded good in theory, but didn't quite pan out in reality. Maybe it's because it didn't have the same organic nature of "stompin' in my Air Force Ones."

lupe wayne mike jones

Mike Jones, Lil' Wayne & Lupe Fiasco Join Forces With Rbk

When: 2006

As part of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign, Reebok gave heavyweights Mike Jones, Lil' Wayne and Lupe Fiasco their own collective signature sneaker. Though their sneakers shared the same overall design, each rapper's individual style and sound was expressed by seperate corresponding color schemes. Clearly, Reebok's been negotiating hip-hop sneaker deals before it was the "it" thing to do.

wu tang fila

Wu-Tang x FILA CREAM Classics

When: 2007

While most envision the Nike Dunk "Wu-Tang" when associating the Wu and sneakers, it's their '07 collaboration with FILA that actually put more cream into the pockets of the group out of Shaolin. Moderately priced at 120 dolla dolla bills, yall, Wu-Tang's CREAM classics may or may not have been a better exploration into fashion than their Wu Wear clothing line.

missy

Missy Elliot's adidas Originals Respect M.E.

When: 2007

Before Nicki and RiRi were seen stunting in their JS Wings, Missy Elliot was the adidas Original. To coincide with the release of her "Respect M.E." album, adidas laced Missy with her own clothing and sneaker line of the same name, which furthered her b-boy aesthetic and hip-hop legacy.

dame dash

Dame Dash Acquires PRO-Keds

When: 2007

Back when Dame was a multi-faceted entrepreneur and CEO, he tapped into the sneaker market by gaining ownership of the classic PRO-Keds company. With intentions of redirecting the brand towards the urban marketplace, Dame never really got it right and ended up losing the company to its previous owners — the Stride Rite Corporation.

nas

Nas Gets Nostalgic With The FILA Italia High

When: 2008

As part of their one-year partnership, Nas received financial support for the promotion of his "Untitled" album and tour in exchange for his support for a brand he'd grew up wearing. In describing the partnership, Nas stated "My best friend Will and I loved Fila... It represented prestige and everything that was cool to us. When Will passed, we buried him in a black Fila sweatsuit, so doing a deal with them has a lot of significance for me." Now that's deep.

clark kent

Clark Knows

When: 2008

All-time sneakerhead DJ Clark Kent has had plenty to do with Nike, from the 25th anniversary celebration of the Air Force 1 to tons of behind-the-scenes stuff that you'll probably never hear about. But perhaps he's best known for the "112 Pack," which celebrated his hometown (all BROOKLYN everything) with neon and elephant takes on some all-time classics. The design still turns up from time to time, for those lucky enough to get blessed with a pair.

soulja boy

Soulja Boy Gets A Sneaker Deal With YUMS

When: 2008

Though his kicks came equipped with a "No-Tie Stay-Fly" lacing system and a YUMS mixtape, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's first sneaker deal was basically doomed from its inception. As it appeared to be a bad BAPE re-creation, it's not hard to see how it ended up becoming a celebrity footwear fail.

bun b

In Memory Of...

When: 2008

Bun B has been in the sneaker game as long as he's been in the rap game, and he goes just as heavy in both. In 2008, he commemorated his fallen partner, Pimp C, by designing this pair of Greedy Genius Cool Breeze Vadors. As if the significance wasn't clear enough, the "RIP PIMP C" keychain should have gotten the point across.

kanye

Kanye West Collaborates With Louis Vuitton

When: 2009

It's no secret that Kanye has always had aspirations to create within the fashion world. Thus, when LV Creative Director Marc Jacobs gave Yeezy the opportunity to orchestrate his own sneaker line, the self-proclaimed "Louis Vuitton Don" graciously accepted the chance to bring his nickname to fruition. Taking inspiration from the padding of the collars worn in the movie "Dune," Kanye focused on a "juxtaposition of soft and electric" colors. With prices at around $1,000, the Don's, Jasper's and Mr. Hudson are of hip-hop's priciest kicks.

fat joe

Fat Joe Makes Kicks With Protege

When: 2009

Joey Crack may be familiar with wearing extremely rare Nikes and Jordans with price tags reminiscent of NYC rent, but when he partnered with footwear brand Protege, he wanted to make a shoe for the people. Priced modestly at $34.99, Fat Joe's "They Sick" and "The Recession" offered an alternative to those too frugal to shell out over $100 for kicks.

kanye 2

Kanye West's Nike Air Yeezy

When: 2009

By way of the Air Yeezy, Kanye West became Nike's first ever non-athlete to receive a signature shoe. Fulfilling Ye's dreams to one day design a sneaker, the Air Yeezy I was limited to 3,000 pairs and certainly rocked the sneaker world. With the Air Yeezy II set to drop in June, one can only imagine the madness that will soon ensue.

swizzy

Swizz Beatz Becomes The Reebok Classics Creative Director

When: 2010

Swizz Beatz has like 982 jobs and, in 2010, Creative Director of Reebok Classics became another one. In charge of navigating the artistic direction of the brands more nostalgic offerings, Swizzy was the impetus behind the Reebok Kamikaze III and Rick Ross' "Reebok Back" movement.

biz

Nobody Beats the Biz

When: 2011

If hip-hop and sneakers are married, then the Diabolical Biz Markie may have been the officiant. Perhaps known best for introducing the now-iconic Air Safari to the masses, Biz collaborated with PRO-Keds in 2011 on a line of official signature versions of the classic 69er.

big sean

Big Sean Joins adidas Originals Campaign

When: 2011

Seen in several adidas Originals and adidas Basketball commercials throughout 2011, it was obvious that Big Sean and the Three Stripes had something brewing. Months later, Kanye's protege had two one-of-one adidas signatures — the adidas Superstar 80s "Leopard" and the adidas Pro Model "Snakeskin." G.O.O.D. raps clearly get you sweet kicks.

bob

B.o.B Teams Up With adidas Originals

When: 2011

"Even if they're slippers, they better be adidas." Not only is B.o.B a traditionalist, but also one of adidas' fresh new faces. And, according to T.I., he's also one of the next in hip-hop to get their own signature model.

rick ross

Rick Ross Signs To Reebok

When: 2012

Motivated by Reebok's obvious connection to the hip-hop world and his strong recollection of wearing "$5 white t-shirts and the Soldier Reeboks," Ricky Rozay has now become the newest to endorse Reebok Classics. So, though we've seen Ross rocking the Workout Mid recently and may not see him in any Jordan retros within the next couple of months, the possibility of seeing him donning retro'd Shaq Attaqs, Kamikazes, Iversons and/or Omni Pump Lites in the near future makes it all worth it.

nicki minaj

Nicki Minaj Joins adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott Campaign

When: 2012

Nicki Minaj may have parted ways with Twitter and her eleven million followers, but her relationship with adidas Originals is now stronger than ever — seeing as though she is their latest brand ambassador. Nicki Minaj x adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott x Fall 2012? Seems like a match made in heaven.

lil wayne

Lil' Wayne Partners With Supra

When: 2012

Wayne may be somewhat of a skateboarding newb, but with his latest footwear partnership, he's now on a Supra team headed by the legendary Chad Mu$ka. With his outfits getting more ridiculous everyday, and his clothing line TRUKFIT in full bloom, it's just a matter of time before Tunechi releases his first signature Moon Boot.