AND 1 Inks Deal With Penalty, Prepares 2004 Mixtape Tour

And 1 Entertainment has inked an exclusive mulit-year worldwide distribution and licensing deal with Ryko/Penalty. Through the new union, the labels will cross-brand and cross-promote music with And 1’s DVD lines and the And 1 Mixtape Tour. "AND 1 has done an incredible job building its brand on the streets and in the homes of […]

And 1 Entertainment has inked an exclusive mulit-year

worldwide distribution and licensing deal with Ryko/Penalty. Through the new

union, the labels will cross-brand and cross-promote music with And 1’s DVD

lines and the And 1 Mixtape Tour.

"AND 1 has done an incredible job building

its brand on the streets and in the homes of our core consumers," Penalty’s

President, Neil Levine told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "With Penalty

bringing value-added music, strong visual hip-hop content and

street savvy marketing this marriage is a perfect fit."

And 1 executives said that they were attracted

to Ryko/Penalty due to their experience in distribution.

The first releases under the new deal will be

"Street Ball: The AND 1 Mixtape Tour" in May, followed by AND 1’s

seventh Mixtape.

The 2004 AND 1 Mixtape Tour kicks off June 3rd

in the United States hitting 30 cities followed by an international tour. The

company will also drop a book, "AND 1 Ultimate Streetball" in the

summer.

Founded in 1993, AND 1 has grown to be the second

largest basketball footwear and apparel company in the United States, due largely

to the success of the their streetballers and their marriage to hip-hop music.