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Adidas takes the #2 spot from Jordan proving hip-hop moves the culture
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HIP-HOP IS WORLD CULTURE.
From Nelly giving Air Force One’s clout to Jim Jones and Juelz Santana in Ed Hardy, hip-hop sets trends.
Kanye West is undoubtedly the most influential man in music. He made leather joggers a thing and now has helped Adidas achieve greatness.
According to NPD’s sports industry analyst Matt Powell, the German brand has taken the #2 sneaker spot in the U.S. from Jordan Brand. Yeezy deadass jumped over the Jumpman.
According to MarketWatch, Nike shares are up 5.3% while Adidas shares are up 31.1% over the same period.
This shift in sneaker popularity shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the industry. Jordan Brand has stood on its clout for years, not having a need for real ambassadors of the brand.
Adidas however was in trouble pre-2014, with Jeremy Scott and A$AP Rocky providing the only conversation surrounding the brand. When Kanye decided to publicly denounce Nike in favor of Adidas every Hypebeast went with him.
https://giphy.com/gifs/kanye-west-yeezy-KClaarADdSsEw
Adidas offered Kanye creative freedom and he turned that into a classic underdog story we ate up. “Fuck Nike,” “Fuck Mark Parker.” Kanye was selling hype and drama in a way that only Kanye West can do.
The Yeezys are the most hyped sneaker ever and the highest valued at $1,876. In a world run by clout Adidas said,
“Not only [have the Yeezy’s] sold out instantly but [they have] also played a major role in propelling Adidas to the most popular sneaker brand on Instagram in 2015.”
I know it sounds dumb but Instagram translates to considerably higher revenue than other social networks. No one was looking out for an Adidas shoe before Kanye blessed them with his name.
https://giphy.com/gifs/yeezys-1wC280snDPqM
Adidas trumping Jordan Brand proves that marketing is everything and quality always comes second. Hip-hop has moved the culture forward ever since RUN DMC had their Adidas and it’ll continue to do so as we stay wavy.
I don’t see Meghan Trainor making any trends outchea.