BG: Move Around

Brands featured in the video:
Evisu: One pair of jeans
Jacob & Co: Two diamond watches
Mercedes: Two CLS coupes
Ralph Lauren: One polo shirt
Reebok: One NFL jersey

Jagged Edge: Good Luck Charm

Brands featured in the video:
Artful Dodger: One hoody
New Era: Three fitted caps
Nike: One pair of Air Force Ones

Brand debut: Artful Dodger

Jamie Foxx: DJ Play a Love Song

Brands featured in the video:
Adidas: One pair of sneakers
Jacob & Co: One diamond watch
Nike: One pair of Air Force Ones
Nokia: Two 8801 cellphones

Bun B: Get Throwed

Brands featured in the video:
Bentley Motors: One GT coupe
Fubu: One Crown Holder t-shirt
Johnny the Jewler: One pendant
Land Rover: One Range Rover SUV
Miskeen: One t-shirt
Motorola: One RAZR cellphone
New Era: Five fitted caps
Nike: Three pairs of Air Force Ones
Reebok: One NBA jersey
USDA: One jacket

Paul Wall: Girl

Brands featured in the video:
Algierz Clothing: One t-shirt
Danger/T Mobile: One Sidekick II
LRG: One jacket
Mercedes: One CLS coupe and one SLK roadster
New Era: Ten-plus fitted hats

Market Movers: Kanye West

Label: Rocafella/Def Jam
Brand associations: Audemars Piguet, Boost Mobile, Gucci, Jacob & Co, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and Yves Saint Laurent
Endorsements/partnerships: Boost Mobile, Jacob & Co, Pepsi, and a product placement arrangement with Lincoln
Brand ownership: G.O.O.D Music and the upcoming clothing line Pastelle.

Hip Hop Collabs-The Corporate Edition

There've been a lot of new deals and announcements from hip-hop brands this quarter, heres a quick rundown:
Diddy/Sean John:
Has a licensing agreement with G III Apparel Group for a womens athletic line. Also has a cooking contetst show airing on NBC this April.
Ice Cube:
Will star in and produce a Mr Kotter re-make through Dimension Films.
Jay-Z:
Announced three new leases for the 40/40 Club and has a Rocawear watch line in the works.
Juvenile:
Bundled an app by ID Interactive with his new album Reality Check. The program will allow usuers to turn songs from the album into customized ringtones.
LL Cool J:
Launched the Todd Smith clothing line.
Notorious BIG (estate) :
Signed an exclusive mobile content deal with Zingy.
Pharrell:
Designing jewelry for Louis Vuitton and may have an Ice Cream/New Era collab in the works? (spotted at Hype)












TI:
Signed a mobile content deal with Sprint to promote his upcoming album King; note the Sprint/Nextel phones in the What You Know video. He also announed plans for a fashion line.

Campaign Analysis: Reebok

When Jay Z and 50 Cent signed with Reebok in 2003, they gave new life to a dying brand. Co-signed by the top two names in hip hop, Reebok gained not only marketshare, but some much-sought after "street credibility" as well. The companys next "urban overture" was to launch the "I Am What I Am" campaign in February of 2005- the companys largest in nearly a decade. Thus far, the campaign has been an undeniable success, with Reebok posting an 11 percent rise in revenue (up to $925 million) in the first quarter of 2005. According to Reebok, half of that increase came from entertainment or lifestyle products such as the S. Carter and G-Unit lines. Recently the campaign kicked into overdrive, with deals going to Mike Jones, Lil Wayne, Nelly and Lupe Fiasco in an attempt to build on last years gains. But in the blind rush to duplicate the earlier success, Reebok has jeapordized the progress it has made in the urban market and could end up wasting millions. Take Nelly, for example. Just how seriously are we supposed to take his 'signature line'? He had a hit song called Air Force Ones and a limited edition line of Air Derrtys for cryin out loud. For those with short memories:

Then theres Lil Wayne. Now on the surface, this makes sense, considering the built in popularity of Reebok in his hometown of New Orleans. He even refrences the brand in some early Cash Money songs. But take a casual look at his recent videos, magazine shoots, or stage performances- the dudes a walking billboard for Bape and Nike. So how credible is his seal of approval supposed to be? Its as obvious to me as it is to everyone else that Reebok expects to cop these kicks thats this is just a check for Weezy and not a genuine endorsement. So do some better research, Reebok execs, because moves like this will have your OG Classics collecting dust with some P Millers and Birdman Lugz.

E-mail requests

I've been getting alot of e-mail requests on the jacket Nas rocked during the BET/MTV interviews with Jay-Z. The retro-Nike leather is by Dr Romanelli and sold out, according to the site. Jays Bape hoody is available here. Having trouble finding something listed here at Strictly Business? Leave a comment or hit me at urbonicsmedia(at)yahoo.com, and I'll do what I can to help.(pic via Nahright)

Busta Rhymes: Touch It Remix

Brands featured in the video:
Adidas: One pair of sneakers
Boomer 129: One canine sweater vest
Jacob & Co: One diamond watch
Mitchell and Ness: One New York Jets jacket
New Era: Five fitted caps
Nike: Two pairs of Air Force Ones
Reebok: One New York Jets fitted cap
Victorias Secret: One shopping bag
VNU Inc: Billboard magazine

Brand/product debuts: Boomer 129 canine apparel

Notorious BIG: Spit Your Game

Brands featured in the video:
Brooklyn Mint: Two t-shirts
Crooks and Castles: One t-shirt
Danger: One Sidekick II
Lemar and Dauley: One hoody
New Era: Five fitted caps

Brand/product debuts: Crooks & Castles and Lemar & Dauley

Ying Yang Twins ft Bun B: Get It

Brands featured:
Fubu: One Crown Holder t-shirt
Mitchell and Ness: One Houston Oilers jacket
New Era: Three fitted caps
Reebok: One fitted cap
TV Johnny: One set of custom grills, one pedant

TI ft UGK: Front, Back

Brands featured:
A-Towns: Four models of the A*Town sneaker
Cadillac: One Deville DTS sedan
Chevrolet: One 1966 Impala coupe
Ether Clothing Co: One hoody
LRG: One hoody
New Era: Four fitted caps
Miskeen: One t-shirt
Motorola: One Razr cellphone
Reebok: Three NFL jerseys and one Houston Oilers fitted cap
TV Johnny: Custom watches and grills
Brand debuts: The A Town sneaker

Ludacris ft Field Mob: Georgia

Brands featured:
Akademiks: One hoody, one t-shirt
A. Tiziano: One jacket
Evisu: One t-shirt
Greyhound Lines: One Greyhound bus
Headgear Sportswear: One t-shirt
New Era: Six fitted caps
Ralph Lauren: One rugby
Reebok: One NFL jersey

Fabolous: Tit 4 Tat

Brands featured:
A Bathing Ape: One shark hoody
Akademiks: One jacket
Bentley Motors: One GT coupe
Boost Mobile: One Motorola i860 "tatoo" phone
Ice Cream: One t-shirt
Lacoste: One tracksuit
Louis Roederer:One bottle of Cristal
Mercedes: One McLaren SLR coupe
New Era: Three fitted caps
Rich Yung: One thermal shirt

Lil Wayne: Hustler Muzik

Brands featured:
A Bathing Ape: Two hoodies, two pairs of sneakers, and one jacket
Breitling: One diamond watch
Ice Cream: One hoody
Microsoft: One XBox 360 controller
Rolls Royce: One Phantom sedan
Palm: One Treo smartphone

Market Movers: Fabolous

Today I'll start posting brand profiles for what I call Market Movers - the rap artists with the most purchase influence in the urban market.

Fabolous:
Label: Atlantic Records, but presently in negotiations with Def Jam.
Brand associations: Akademiks, Boost Mobile, Brand Jordan, Danger, Evisu, Hpnotiq, Jacob & Co, Lacoste, Mitchell and Ness, Motorola, New Era, Nike, and Red Monkey.
Endorsements: Boost Mobile, EA Sports, Lipton Brisk, Mitchell and Ness, New Era, Reebok, and Sean John.
Brand ownership: Rich Yung. Fab has leveraged video placements and lyrical references to build an impressive buzz for this brand. Below are some recent photos, via Crunk and Disorderly and Concrete Loop:













Rich Yung is available at Stadium and Speedball.