Veteran Rapper DMC Leaves Adidas

Endorsing French Brand Le Coq Sportif

By Nolan Strong

Veteran rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, formerly of pioneering rap group Run-DMC, has ended his 20-year affiliation with Adidas.

The rapper has joined on to promote the Upscale French-owned brand, Le Coq Sportif.

DMC said he came across the brand on his quest to find a comfortable sneaker, after many years with Adidas, whom he once endorsed in a now legendary 1986 pact with German sportswear giant.

DMC was introduced to the Le Coq Sportif brand earlier this year after a trip to the company’s New York show room with a business associate.

“When summer came, I had to put my Adidas back on because literally, no other sneaker looked right on me," DMC told AllHipHop.com. "For some reason, those shell-toes were mine. Not for Run, not [Jam Master] Jay’s. For me. I couldn’t wear nothing else.”

DMC is also helping Le Coq Sportif in a design capacity, helping to choose color schemes of the sneakers.

In January, the Sausheim, France based Le Coq Sportif announced it would make a push into the United States apparel market via a collaboration with Itochu International, the company that owns the Le Coq Sportif license in the United States.

Hip-Hop fashionistas will recall the Le Coq Sportif brand was popular in hip-hop circles in the mid-1980’s.

DMC said he was not simply signing a shoe deal and had rebuffed offers until he found a shoe that also reflected his personal style.

“I put those shoes on [Le Coq Sportif] and it was a wrap,” DMC said. “I finally found the sneaker I was looking for. Finally I could get out of my shell-toes.”

Run-DMC helped revolutionize hip-hop marketing when they recorded the hit song “My Adidas” featured on their landmark 1986 album, Raising Hell.

“Adidas was part of a great past, but with my new album and documentary show coming out this fall on VH1, I found a sneaker brand to represent a great future," DMC continued.

DMC is preparing to release his debut solo album Checks Thugs and Rock 'n Roll on his own label Rags 2 Riches Records and will also be featured in an upcoming Le Coq Sportif ad campaign.

The rapper is also the subject of a new VH1 franchise called “VH1 Rock Docs,” which reveals untold stories in the world of rock and hip-hop music.