The story of Endorsements as it relates to the hip hop genre began in 1986 when the rap trio RUN DMC dropped their groundbreaking third album “Raising Hell” and were performing at Madison Square Garden. Lyor Cohen, their Road Manager at the time, invited Angelo Anastasio, an Adidas executive to the show. When it came time for the group to perform “My Adidas,” Run asked the crowd to hold their sneakers in the air. Seeing the crowd of thousands hold up their Adidas sneaker, Anastasio realized the power of Hip-Hop marketing and was quick to sign RUN DMC to a $1 million dollar endorsement deal.

It’s no longer a secret that hip hop has immense marketing power and basically the only genre that can essentially name drop a brand and allow it to be prolific and profitable. Many Fortune 500 companies have since recognized this once obscure genre of music and embraced the power it possesses. It’s no longer uncommon for a rapper to endorse a brand or to become a spokesperson for a product.

The deal between Adidas and RUN DMC was the first of its kind and certainly laid the groundwork for future marketing and business relationships in hip hop. Today, endorsement deals and musical artists go hand in hand. The key to a good partnership is finding the right artist for the right brand. Evans Endorsements is the eyes and ears of the entertainment industry that will allow for a seamless marriage between the two.