Nike is making a play
for the urban market and is launching Blue Ribbon Sports, which will do battle
with urban themed lines from Reebok and Adidas. Reebok has sneaker and apparel
deals with 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Nelly, while Adidas has a major deal with producer/rapper
Missy Elliott. Blue Ribbons Sports was the original name for Nike, which was founded
by Phil Knight. The exclusive brand will only be available at high-end retailers.
The company has not announced any celebrity endorsers, but reports stated designers
from Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ Sean John clothing company have
been tapped to design the collection.
50 Cent is leaping into the world of technology with the G-Unit
MP3 Watch. The MP3 watch comes in two different versions, one that features
memory of 256 MBs or one with 512 MB. Buttons on the watch allow users to play,
rewind, fast forward, stop and adjust other settings. The watch comes with a
USB port to easily transfer files. The watch is available at jewelry stores
and starts at $486.
Atlantic Records and The Jump Off are presenting the Missy Elliott
UK Street Dance Championships. The competition will be held exclusively in the
U.K. and will involve B-Boy pairs and Crew Street Dance Battles. The Grand Finale
will be held in Mean Fiddler, London on Sunday, August 28th. Doors open at 8pm.
All groups must audition first, which will be held between 2 and 4pm the day
of the event. First prize winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to
New York, Adidas apparel and signed Missy Elliott platinum discs.
Heats will be held in the following cities:
Birmingham – Saturday, August 13th
London – Sunday, August 14th
Manchester – Saturday, August 20th
Leeds – Sunday, August 21st
For more information
visit http://www.jumpoff.tv/
