Image via Complex Original
It's no secret that hip-hop has immense marketing power — after all, it's basically the only genre that can 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 adidas announcing its shoe with Big Sean, Lil' Wayne partnering with SUPRA, and Yeezys jumping the Jumpman, we take 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.
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 $38 million endoresement deal to further its desired image. A deal like that is certainly 2 legit.
Digital Underground
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 even 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.
Jay-Z
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. *Birdman hand rub*
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.
The 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."
Mike Joooooones
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 corresponding color schemes. Clearly, Reebok's been negotiating hip-hop sneaker deals before it was the "it" thing to do.
Wu Tang
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 Elliot
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.
DJ Clark Kent 112
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
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 West Louis Vuitton
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 a G, the Don's, Jasper's and Mr. Hudson are amongst 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 West
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. And the Yeezy II release this last summer? The craziest release to date.
Swizz Beatz
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." Big Sean even broke down his favorite adidas models for us. 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 "$5 white t-shirts and the Soldier Reeboks," Ricky Rozay became the latest (and largest) hip-hop persona to endorse Reebok Classics. Even though we still occasionally catch him in Js, we are sure that will change once we see more retro'd Shaqs, Kemps, and Iversons in 2013. Ain't nothin' for a bawse.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj Joins adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott Campaign
When: 2012
Nicki Minaj's crazy style made her a no-brainer for adidas Originals to team up with the greatest, Jeremy Scott. Nicki Minaj x adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott x Fall 2013? Seems like a match made in heaven.
Lil Wayne
Lil' Wayne Partners With Supra
When: 2012
Wayne may still be something of a skateboarding newb, but with his latest footwear partnership, he's now on a Supra team headed by the legendary Chad Mu$ka. With his outfits getting more ridiculous everyday, and his clothing line TRUKFIT in full bloom, the S1W line is rounding-out the prince of YMCMB's empire.
2 Chainz
2 Chainz Links With The Three Stripes
When: 2012
No rapper has had quite the year 2 Chainz has—more than 10 years in the game, a new name change, and a few singles will get you six-figure guest verses and an an endorsement deal with adidas.
Justin Bieber
adidas Has Bieber Fever
When: 2012
Supras have been a staple in Bieber's sneaker closet since his first single went plat but as he matured, so did his style. In 2012 Bieber's image quickly went from a boy to a young man ready to conquer the world (just like another Justin in 2002) — shedding the image of being so young to someone even we might look up to. This fall adidas announced they were teaming up with the hottest artist in the world for their new Neo line, and as far as hip-hop goes, the kids verses are pretty swaggy.
Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor's adidas Connect is G.O.O.D.
When: 2012
When it comes to sneakers, no female artist has been doing it better than Teyana in the Complex culture. This isn't some new fad to her, since she first hit our radar she has been rocking classic Jordans and looking damn good doing it. Just last week rumors started circulating that Taylor would be teaming up with The Three Stripes to work on her own lifestyle shoe. Just the other day we got a sneak peek at what that might look like — good move, adidas.