Jay-Z's Endorsement Deal

Feb. 18 -- Many hip-hop lyrics sound like shopping lists for the rich and famous with rappers waxing rhapsodic about their Mercedes-Benz cars, Louis-Vuitton bags or Nike Air Force Ones.

These days, many are hoping for a freebie or loaner from the brands they sing about, but in 1986, when the group Run-DMC penned the song "My Adidas," it was all about love — for the sneaker. In that one song, Run-DMC, one of the most influential rap groups, laid out a love affair that continues today.

Rappers love sneakers.

And with love being a two-way street, the sneaker makers love the booming sales that the rappers bring in.

Reebok Employs Rapper to Boost Sales

Is it coincidence then that in 2003, hip-hop superstar and business mogul Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to score an endorsement deal for a line of sneakers from an athletic shoe company?

The $13.5 billion athletic shoe industry has moved from the basketball court into the living rooms and nightclubs of America. According to NPD Group, the industry grew by 2.6% in 2003 with the majority of growth in consumers aged 18 to 29. With the release of Reebok's (nyse: RBK - news - people ) S. Carter by the Rbk line, Jay-Z, whose birth name is Shawn Carter, joined the ranks of sports luminaries like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury to have his own line of sneakers.

The price of such deals has soared since Michael Jordan signed with Nike in 1984 to the tune of $2.5 million over five years.

In 2003, Cleveland Cavalier rookie LeBron James signed a seven-year endorsement deal with Nike worth an estimated $90 million (see: "Slam Dunk"). With prices like these, some athletic shoe companies have changed the way they dole out their endorsement dollars. Fewer athletes are being courted to put their name on a shoe. Instead, athletes are now signed to endorsement deals to promote someone else's shoe.