Hip-hop artists have achieved that level of success because they are much more than their music. They are tastemakers and trendsetters in lifestyle-defining products from fashion to high-end champagne.
“In America, in a capitalist society, how else do you show you’ve made it?” Krishnamurthy said. “One thing I kind of joke about is: People can’t see your mortgage. But they can see a nice chain. They can see the clothes that you have on. That is an immediate signal.”“You have a genre that historically has a lot of people who grew up with little to nothing,” Krishnamurthy said. “The aspiration is inherent.
Even though the company had seen an unusual spike in sales of its Superstar shoes in the Northeast in 1986, it wasn't ready to attribute that to rap group Run-D.M.C. and their hit “My Adidas.” “But when that kind of money is being spent and people really saw the power that rappers had to change what somebody might wear ... they started taking notice," she said.
Few events in hip-hop culture’s ongoing march into the mainstream can match McDonald’s introduction of Saweetie 'n Sour sauce for the fast food giant’s Chicken McNuggets in 2021. Packets of the sauce are now available for $20 apiece online.