Rappers Replacing Athletes in Endorsements, 50 Cent’s Vitaminwater & the Hip Hop Pistons

USA Today has a group of articles on rappers getting more of the shoe endorsements that traditionally went to athletes, though such a development is partly seen as “part of the growing fusion of sports and music. Rap mogul Jay-Z owns a piece of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets. The NFL and NBA stage huge concerts before their biggest events.”

It’s also indicative of the rise of the “casual shoe” that’s “used more for fashion than sports” and has:
“emerged as the fastest growing piece of the $17 billion athletic footwear pie. Casual shoe sales grew 24.5% in 2004 vs. a 0.3% increase for basketball shoes and 4.6% bump for running shoes, according to SGMA International. So-called ‘leisure/low performance’ shoes accounted for 51% of dollar volume for the 12-month sales period ending in May, says NPD Group.”

Of course, the issue of rapper’s volatility is raised but high-profile court cases like that of Kobe Bryant have helped take the edge off hip hop in the eyes of shoe companies. In addition, rappers are much more open about product placement in their music and videos, so additional marketing is available in an integrated fashion. Furthermore, as 50 Cent states, “athletes are seasonal. Our presence is yearround.”

USA Today also takes a closer look at the many business projects of 50 Cent including Formula 50 Glacéau Vitaminwater (which was originally expected back in March), G-Unit watches, an autobiographical book and film, the upcoming Anger Management Tour and the Reebok GXT II.

Ads for Formula 50 will run in a “range of magazines — from men’s magazines Maxim and FHM to hip-hop journal Vibe to high-society title Town & Country— as well as on big-city bus wraps and billboards” and will show 50 Cent as he “reads The Wall Street Journal, retrieves the mail at his Connecticut home, records in a studio and works out at a gym.” According to 50 these seemingly unlikely scenarios are “50 Cent at home in those ads. People don’t get a chance to see 50 Cent away from the music.”

As a brief related article put it,
“‘In the past, athletes were role models to the youth. Today it’s the entertainers, particularly the hip-hop artists, who are at the forefront of inspiration,’ says Lisa Spiritus, director of entertainment marketing [for Boost Mobile].”

However, I wouldn’t expect athletes to be disappearing anytime soon and the mixture of athletes and artists will continue to evolve. For example, though some people feel that hip hop has been a bad influence on the NBA, Hashim Warren’s assertion that the hard working Detroit Pistons are the first real hip hop team has been validated, in part, by the Detroit Free Press’s Kelly Carter. She discusses their use of hip hop to rev up before games and reveals a selection of “Pregame Tracks” from Ben Wallace’s iPod:

“Don’t Need Your Love” The Game, featuring Faith Evans
“The Documentary” The Game
“Like Father, Like Son,” The Game featuring Busta Rhymes
“Song Cry” Jay-Z
“Renegade” Jay-Z and Eminem
“Ha” Juvenile
“Why?” Jadakiss