The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop Begins

Brand Liaison Built Stable of Retailers, Licensees and Collaboration Partners To Honor This Historic Milestone

As the world begins to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop on August 11, Legends Recordings and The Brand Liaison are proud to announce a roster of retailers, licensees, brand collaboration partners and events that are celebrating the anniversary and supporting the For the Culture Fund to give back to communities that supported Hip Hop for five decades. The official 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop festivities will kick off with the Battle Champs competition sponsored by Snipes in Times Square from August 13-15 and will crown the Kings and Queens of the MC’s, DJ’s, graffiti artists, breakers and beatboxers as judged by some of the legends in each of these core elements of Hip Hop.

Licensing partners include apparel from Marc Ecko/Thread Collective, Ed Hardy, Mitchell & Ness, Wren & Glory, IML, Philcos, Haus of JR, Killer Tees, Da Spot and Brisco Apparel, along with headphones, speakers and other electronics from MiGear, throws and other unique products from Uncanny Brands, fan chains, stickers magnets and lanyards from AtaBoy and Aminco, eyewear from Vontelle, and posters from Imageo Art.

50th Anniversary of Hip Hop merchandise from these and other suppliers will be featured at hundreds of doors at all the major retail channels from Macy’s to Walmart, specialty channels such as Hot Topic and Forever 21, and ecommerce players like Fanatics, Amazon and Threadless, who is also running a dedicated 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop design challenge.

The 50th Anniversary licensed apparel will also be supported by strategic collaborations with classic brands that have a rich history in the Hip Hop community such as Mitchell & Ness, Marc Ecko, and Ed Hardy. The program will include a very special collection from legendary graffiti artist Tats Cru and the NBA which will drop in late October right before National Hip Hop Celebration Month in November.

Finally, the international celebration will start on October 6 at the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop European Headquarters in Berlin with 50 weeks of straight programming including a pop-up shop, events, receptions, workshops, and masterclasses. This global celebration will last a full year until the Universal Hip Hop Museum opens at the end of 2024.