Kendrick and Nike “Just did it!”

When it comes to fashion, brands have always used celebrities and big names to advertise their company. This is a trend we’ve seen within the shoe industry in particular. As a society, we’re used to news of deals being signed between shoe brands and athletes. Every year, it seems like top companies are fighting over the world’s best players and potential stars who are expected to make waves in their field(or court, depending on what sport you’re speaking of). But lately, we’ve noticed brands are expanding beyond the realm of sports. 

The music industry is the next stop for shoe companies that have always gone after athletes. .Now-a-days, you see athletes in commercials with top artists, you see them with their head phones on, getting in the zone before games. Many would say that music and sports go hand-in-hand. Shoe companies are now following the chain to go after those in the music industry.

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Some examples of this trend include rappers like Rick Ross and 50 cent, who signed a deal with Reebok, Lil Wayne who signed with Supra, and Kanye West, who arguably has the most successful shoe sales out of everyone. Even rappers like Drake and Big Sean have gotten in on the action.

The latest news in rappers signing shoe deals comes from arguably the biggest rapper in the game right now, Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick has one of the biggest albums of the year, “DAMN.”, and one of the biggest songs of the year , “HUMBLE”. He now follows up with a partnership with arguably the biggest shoe brand in the world, Nike!

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Shortly after his deal with Nike was announced, Kendrick opened with an amazing performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards, wearing the classic Nike Cortez. Although Kendrick was previously with Reebok, he recently took to social media stating, “Cortez. Since day 1. #teamnike.”

Kendrick has obviously been a long time fan of Nike’s work, and the Cortez has been a large part of the hip-hop community since its inception.  Although we don’t have all the specific details pertaining to Kendrick’s deal with Nike, people are getting the feeling that good things are on the way. Nike is one of the biggest shoe brands on the planet, and Kendrick is one of the biggest rappers. Just like his hit song states,”Sit down. Be humble”, it may be time for his competitors to take a seat. It appears the era of Kendrick Lamar running the shoe industry is upon us.