10 Rappers Who Have Their Own Sneaker Deals

Chainz

2 Chainz is a perfect example of what it means to stay committed to your career. For so many years he was struggling in the industry to make a name for himself as part of the duo, Playaz Circle. There was even a time when he was signed with platinum-selling rapper Ludacris. But he blew up on the solo tip with a single titled “Spend It” in 2010 and he hasn’t looked back since.

Early last year, 2 Chainz hooked up with Adidas to release a pair of all-black sneakers called Top Ten Hi “2 Good To Be T.R.U.” The sneakers retailed for $130 but they didn’t cause as much excitement as sneakers released by some of his more popular rap counterparts.

J.Cole 

30-yr-old rapper J.Cole is considered as one of the new elite rappers in the Hip-Hop game. He’s originally from North Carolina and he’s currently signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation management agency. If there is anyone out there doubting that J.Cole is a giant in the music industry, try this on for size: earlier this month, he brought his Dreamville tour to NYC with guest stars Big Sean and YG, and he completely sold out Madison Square Garden!

He also recently released a pair of very cool hiking boots with the Swiss luxury brand Bally. J.Cole always does his own thing —while other rappers are putting out sneakers, he decides to release his own high-quality, leather boots.

 Nicki Minaj

At this stage in her career, Nicki Minaj is a one woman empire. Not only does she have a successful rapping career, she has her own perfume, her own clothing line at Walmart and she’s been a judge on American Idol. And yes, she also has her own pair of Air Jordan sneakers.

Similar to her Young Money label mate Drake, Nicki debuted her own pink-colored edition of basketball sneakers in collaboration with Nike. The sneakers were boldly designed with a very distinct pink and gold color scheme. If you are familiar with how Nicki Minaj likes to dress, then you already know that these special sneakers are just perfect for her.

Big Sean

Detroit rapper Big Sean seems to be an artist destined for greatness, but somehow, it doesn’t seem that all the pieces have fallen into place just yet. He is signed to Kanye West’s label, he has dated high-profile celebs like Naya Rivera and Ariana Grande, but he still hasn’t had that colossal breakthrough hit to catapult him into elite status.

No one, however, will ever argue about Big Sean’s cool fashion sense. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that he’s already had three different sneaker releases with Adidas. If he finally decides to go into fashion full time, this is one rapper who might have a very bright future.

Drake

Rapper Drake is certainly at the top of his game right now. The album he released this year, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late, has already gone platinum. In the recent rap battle between himself and Meek Mill that dominated the Hip-Hop air waves, Drake was officially deemed as the hands-down winner.

In addition to that, this year also marked the release of the limited edition collaboration sneaker between Drake’s OVO crew and Air Jordan. It was officially called the OVO Jordan 10, and it retailed for $225. Needless to say, the sneakers quickly sold out as soon as they dropped.

Wiz Khalifa

There are some artists who get one-off deals with brands that involve just one style of a sneaker. Then there are artists like Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa who takes it to an entirely different level. In 2013, Converse hooked up with Wiz to release 12 new styles of their classic Chuck Taylor sneaker.

The collaboration made sense on many different levels. First of all, Converse matches perfectly with Wiz’s laid back yet funky style. Secondly, the rapper’s crew is called the Taylor Gang which matches perfectly with the name of the iconic sneaker. All in all, it was a cool union of two popular urban entities.

Pharrell

Pharrell Williams exists in his own stratosphere when it comes to the worlds of music and fashion. He is a true icon who walks his own path and his forays into fashion have been extremely successful. His Billionaire Boys Club brand is still highly sought after and he also has another brand of sneakers and clothing called Ice Cream.

On top of that, he regularly puts out colorful sneakers with Adidas and he works with Timberland and NYC designer Mark McNairy on a line of boots called Bee Line. Like we said earlier, Pharrell exists in a league of his own.

Kendrick Lamar

Reebok is one of the top fitness and athletic brands in the world, and one of their bestselling styles is the Ventilator running shoe. Earlier this year, Reebok started releasing ads featuring the wunderkind West Coast rapper known as Kendrick Lamar.

This summer, Kendrick and Reebok came together to release a special edition of the Ventilator sneaker which featured the words “Red” and “Blue” on the heels of the shoes. The symbolism of this is to represent the need for unity between the notorious Blood and Crip gangs of Los Angeles. Kendrick is a highly cerebral rapper who cares about his community; it’s great to see him shed a light on gang violence with his sneaker release.

Meek Mill

So far in 2015, Meek Mill has had a year with some big ups and downs. On the upside, his sophomore major label effort debuted on the charts at #1. This was also the year when the world came to know that he was dating the reigning queen of Hip-Hop, Nicki Minaj.

On the downside, he recently lost a very public rap beef with Drake. It may not have destroyed his career, but it put some serious dents in the future potential of his rap stardom.

This year, Meek also released a sneaker with sports brand Puma. It’s the second time the two entities have worked together. The new release features an all-black patent leather upper with a metallic silver midsole. The slick shoes were priced at $120.

Kanye West

When it comes to rappers who have really become famous for putting out their own sneakers, no one is more successful in the Hip-Hop game than Kanye West. To date, he has put out sneakers with the biggest athletic and luxury brands in the world, including Nike and Louis Vuitton.

His collaboration sneakers with Nike dubbed “The Air Yeezys” are still huge hits on EBay, and some of them go for thousands of dollars. He recently left Nike and affiliated himself with Adidas, and this year, he released his Adidas Boost sneakers that caught on like wild fire.

Kanye has made no secret about his passion for becoming a major designer in the fashion game – he has already made some serious inroads into this industry with his extremely successful footwear projects, so perhaps the best is yet to come.

Lil Wayne

Trukfit







 Lil Wayne is one of most unique and individual personalities in the realm of Hip-Hop. Even though he has been active in the Hip-Hop scene since the mid-90s, he has always been able to evolve and stay relevant with the times. His current image is that of a heavily-tattooed, dreadlocked skateboarder and he has a clothing line called Trukfit that reflects this persona perfectly. It consists mainly of cool skater-style baseball hats and t-shirts with bold and appealing graphics. The brand has been around since 2012 and it’s performing very well in stores. 

Nicki Minaj

Often times, when rappers and other influencers decide to go into the clothing business, their first choice is to create collections that are exclusive and expensive. Even though this approach might increase demand, it really doesn’t translate into that much earned revenue. The more profitable approach is taking the mass market route and that’s exactly what Nicki Minaj is doing with her K-Mart collection. The prices are affordable and the styles still capture the Hip-Hop queen’s flashy style. All of these factors equate to a boatload of sales and big bank deposits for Ms. Minaj.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z is sometimes referred to as “The Black Sinatra.” He has deftly maneuvered his way from a street level rapper to one of the most sought after entertainers and business tycoons in the world. Together with his wife Beyoncé, they have a net worth of over a billion dollars! The business venture that really set Jay-Z on his way to making so much money is his clothing brand Roca Wear. Even though it’s not the coolest brand on the scene right now, it still brings in revenue. He also recently unveiled a new division of the brand called Rocawear Blak to target and offer cool styles to the current generation of young Hip-Hop kid

Puff Daddy

The rapper/mogul who created the original blueprint for making the transition from Hip-Hop to creating a globally successful clothing brand is Puff Daddy. He started his Sean John brand in 1998, and over the years, it has grown by leaps and bounds. It is a full lifestyle fashion brand offering men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing in addition to a full collection of accessories and perfumes. Sean John is carried in major department stores all over the world, and it’s definitely a big part of the reason why Sean “Diddy” Combs is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Big Sean

Big Sean is only 26-yrs-old and he has already made a huge mark on the Hip-Hop game. The Detroit rapper is a protégé of the omnipresent Kanye West, and he has certainly been taking all his lessons seriously.  To date, he has released two successful albums and two clothing brands. His first brand was the short lived Finally Famous, and his present clothing project is called Aura Gold. Apart from the music, Big Sean is actually seen as a style and culture influencer, and all this bodes well for the continued success of his clothing line.

Tyga

 Last Kings

Tyga is one of the leaders of the new school in the rap industry. He is signed to Lil Wayne’s YMCMB label and he has joined substantial success in the music game. The LA-based rapper is also very serious about fashion and style, and last year, he launched his own streetwear brand named Last Kings. The brand is inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology and imagery, and he actually spent over a $100K designing and building an impressive retail store for the collection. Last Kings is regularly worn by huge celebrities like Chris Brown, and as long as Tyga keeps making hits, legions of fans will certainly support his brand.

Rappers Who Own Successful Clothing Lines

Hip-Hop and fashion go hand in hand. So much of the rapper lifestyle has to do with how you look, what you drive, the shoes you wear and the jewelry you own. That’s the reason why most Hip-Hop stars leverage their popularity in the music arena into starting their own fashion brands and making tons of money. Below is a list of ten rappers who also own successful clothing brands …

 Pusha T: Play Cloths

Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music record label is home to an impressive selection of talented rappers including Travis Scott, CyHi the Prince, Big Sean and Virginia rapperPusha T and his brother No Malice have been active participants in the rap industry for over a decade, and they own a clothing line together called Play Cloths. The inspiration for the brand was channeling the clothes that kids are allowed to wear when they get home from school and are granted permission to play outside. So there is a definite hint of nostalgia attached to the brand. It has been around since 2008 and it continues to be a strong seller among urban and street-savvy teens.

Rapper clothing (Hip-Hop)

18. Bushi Sport

Rapper: Busta Rhymes

The only person who wants to dress like Busta Rhymes is Busta Rhymes. Crazy how the leather top hat didn't turn into a fad. Hipsters failed us on that one. Now Busta looks like a Dominican barber.

17. Nostic

Rapper: Jim Jones

Jim Jones really tried to make this trash happen. A better name in retrospect would have been "Noxious." Jones' current line, Vampire Life, fares considerably better. Kinda by default. We still got love for Jim Jones, tho.

16. Outkast Clothing Co.

Rapper: Outkast

Listen, we used to rock some Outkast pieces because they were easy to boost from Burlington Coat Factory. But while the line may hold some nostalgic cool factor, the line took the worst parts of Big Boi and Andre 3000's respective styles and blended them together. Poorly. 3 Stacks' own line was miles better, because of course it would be.

15. Shady LTD

Rapper: Eminem

Eminem is far from a hip-hop style icon, but there was a time when that creepy old-ass looking dude getting good pussy in high school was wearing a Shady LTD cap or hoodie. Beyond Shady LTD, Eminem also managed to produce some of the illest Air Max collabs of all time, but sadly many of them remain unobtainable grails since you had to cop them via auction.

14. G-Unit

Rapper: 50 Cent

Fact: Complex used to share an office space with G-Unit clothing back in the day. When they went out of business, one staffer at the time found out because he saw them packing boxes. He promptly took photos and reported on it. That right there is real #journalism shit. Very informed Opionon: Only cornballs wore G-Unit. Especially those fake Jordans Reebok tried to sell us.

13. FJ560

Rapper: Fat Joe

FJ560 had the butter soft leathers you could cop for cheap on Canal St. back in the days. The line only lasted about a year, but the button-ups, jorts, and velour suits weren't 'that' bad.

12. Akoo

Rapper: T.I.

The only people we've seen wearing Akoo probably get it for free. But props to T.I. for throwing one of the more hilarious shopping pranks as of late—he tricked several fans into a shopping spree then made it seem like they had to pay. The video's worth watching alone just to see T.I. ham it up for the camera. It's why you can never hate the dude. He's too damn likable.

11. TrukFit

Rapper: Lil Wayne

Did you have to suck dick for Trukfit? Nah. Wayne tried to put his brand on with that line but ended up associating it with fellatio forever. While it's not terribad, and they put out decent pieces that Zumiez kids and core streetwear customers alike both eat up, it's not exactly leading the conversation.

10. State Property Clothing

Rapper: Beanie Sigel

We used to come up on rare State Property fits at either Forman Mills or Burlington Coat Factory. The best part about this line were the stash spots incorporated in the clothing. Just in case you needed a place to hide your krillz.

9. Sean John

Rapper: Puff Daddy

Diddy might have a stable of ghostwriters but he belongs on this list nonetheless. He had a nice run with Sean John. Their velour, and denim suits were always simple and high quality. And yes, that's Rihanna in an all pink Sean John velour tracksuit.

8. Rocawear

Rapper: Jay Z

It's the Roc! Jigga and them cashed out and ran the the early 2000s in every facet of the game. Clothes, movies, rap, they came to conquer it all, and they did just that. I still rock my 'Money Ain't A Thing' shirt from high school around the house:

7. Play Cloths

Rapper: Pusha T

Pusha definitely tries, but not sure if he's taking it as seriously as say Puff, Ye, or Jay. Still, Play Clothes has some chill pieces here and there. They have a couple decent sneaker collabs with Saucony under their belt, too.

6. Benjamin Bixby

Rapper: Andre 3000

Andre's line was promising but like his solo career, it was just a big tease. The preppy football player look was kinda ill but never really caught on as much as it should have. The fact that Ralph Lauren's Rugby line went out of business is a testament to this. The bigger reason Benjamin Bixby didn't live up to its full potential? Probably a dude named Kanye West who came along and signaled a tectonic shift in hip-hop style.

5. Naughty Gear

Rapper: Naughty By Nature

Naughty Gear was the first rapper clothing line. The group had a shop in their hometown of Newark, NJ where they sold various street brands of the day as well as their own label. It helps when your group logo is dope enough to put on clothing and not look suss.

4. Dipset USA

Rapper: Cam'ron

​The Diplomats made a strong comeback last year. Cam released a couple tapes and the gang got back together. However, the introduction of their clothing line has made us forget about the lackluster music as of late. The hoodies, hats, and tees all look great. Walk up to a hipster and ask them to name a track off Cam's first album if you see them rocking some Dipset gear. If they can't name one, rob their ass.

3. Yeezy Season 1

Rapper: Kanye West

I'm not the high fashion kinda guy, and I get the Yeezy hype because black designers are rare. But personally, I'm not feeling the footwear just yet, and I'm not willing to go bankrupt so I can look like a cozy homeless person. Because those prices will make me homeless.

2. Wu-Wear

Rapper: Wu-Tang Clan

The OGs of this rapper clothing line shit. My uncle had a Wu-Wear leather jacket that I used to sneak out the house and wear to school. The Wu set it off with some real gritty streetwear before the term was an Internet buzzword. DJ Greg Street recently had Raekwon as a guest and showed off his ill vintage Wu-Wear collection. In return, The Chef exhibited A-1 folding skills: