Reebok

**Reebok** is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer. In 2006, Lupe Fiasco had an early endorsement deal with the brand before the release of his debut album, *Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor*. *Complex* reported, "He also had an impressive collection of Nike sneakers, which he gave away and signed a deal with Reebok. The result was a pair of plain, grey and white sneakers that you could probably skate in, but no one did."

*Nice Kicks* remarked of the collaboration, "Sure, many artists have shoe deals these days. [...] What made Lupe's deal so radical is that it came before he even had an album out. Following the success of the *Fahrenheit 1st and 15th* mixtape trilogy and preceding the release of his acclaimed *Food & Liquor* debut, his endorsement deal with Reebok was a low key breakthrough..."

## Background

On March 8, 2006, Fiasco attended the press conference "Reebok Now Playing" at Marquee in New York City. *Billboard* reported of the rapper joining the "I Am What I Am" campaign, as well as the partnership "to release the O.G. footwear collection." Fiasco said in a statement, "Reebok gave me freedom and they gave me a chance to really do something big. They look at me as a designer with links to streetwear and the sneaker world and they hope I can do some things to help in those areas." He clarified to *MethodShop* that he participated "for their sponsorship deal from February '06 to February '07. But, I did a little campaign with them. It was me, Lil Wayne and Mike Jones."

Fiasco shared in an interview that because of the contract, he could not buy from any other shoe brands. He continued, "Reebok is done in February and that will be it! I think I'm going to step away from that arena for a minute. I learned a lot from them on what and what not to do. So, when this contract is up I'm going to just chill for a minute." He mentioned of having a Reebok jacket from his deal and added, "In the end, they only made one pair of Lupe shoes. I wore the jacket to a Nike party. Some of the Nike execs were there—they weren't feeling it."

In 2022, he recounted the moment when Reebok tried to sue him. *Billboard* didn't do photoshoots and used stock images that occurred before his deal. When dropping their cover, it showed him wearing Nike SB Blazer Mission, resulting in Reebok sending him a cease and desist letter. *Billboard* apologized on his behalf, unaware of the deal, but Reebok "iced [him] out."

## Gallery

"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Carley Margolis"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Keith Smith"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Keith Smith"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Keith Smith"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Carley Margolis"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Carley Margolis"Reebok Now Playing" (2006)
Photo by Paul Hawthorne
## References

1. ↑ Stonebrook, Ian (September 19, 2021). "Lupe Fiasco: Streetwear's First Superstar". *SoleSavy*.
2. ↑ Welty, Matt (November 6, 2013). "The 15 Most Unbelievable Sneaker Endorsements of All Time". *Complex*.
3. ↑ Stonebrook, Ian (November 2, 2013). "A History of Lupe Fiasco's Sneaker Ventures". *Nice Kicks*.
4. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Rolls with Jay-Z, Shinoda". *Billboard*. March 13, 2006.
5. ↑ Richards, Pete (August 6, 2008). "Interview: Lupe Fiasco on the Hip-Hop Industry, Jay-Z, Chicago, and His Karate Skills". *MethodShop*.
6. ↑ Coachman, Dale (December 24, 2006). "Lupe Fiasco". *Format Mag*. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007.
7. ↑ Modell, Josh (November 15, 2007). "Lupe Fiasco". *Spin*.
8. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Says Nike SB Owes Him a Sneaker Collab | Full Size Run". *YouTube*. June 30, 2022.