Informative biopics, hilarious spoofs and touching portrait tributes are a few of the ways that are shedding light on modern hip-hop in the media.
With major rappers, DJs and hip-hop artists topping the charts, brands are embracing marketing tactics that include these musicians, many of which are known for being edgy. For instance, at the beginning of the year, Nicky Minaj graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in an understated getup rather than her usual over-the-top attire. Similarly, Toronto is home to several billboard advertisements that make references to the city's own Drake with phrases like: "The 6 God is Watching" or "For God So Loved the 6."
In order to easily equate parts of hip-hop culture to other aspects of pop culture, mashups are being made. This is best exhibited by a series of comic book covers put out by Marvel that celebrates decades of album art from iconic rap and hip-hop artists.
17 Examples of Hip-Hop in the Media
From Spoofed Hip-Hop Videos to Intimate Rapper Portraits:
Laura McQuarrie — Dec 10, 2015 — Pop Culture
17
Retro Songstress Fashion
The L'Officiel Singapore Ciara Photoshoot Draws Inspiration from the 60s
16
Rap-Inspired Lookbooks
The Flandana Fall/Winter 2015 Lookbook is Over-the-Top
15
Hip-Hop-Inspired Comics
These Variant Covers by Marvel Pay Tribute to Iconic Rap Albums
14
Vintage Rapper Sneaker Ads
These Refashioned Vintage adidas Ads Include Kanye West
13
Omniscient Rapper Billboards
This Massive Toronto Album Teaser Calls Drake "The 6 God"
12
Rapper-Referencing Religion Billboards
The Drake-Themed Church Sign Reaches Out to Young Audiences
11
Meditative Rapper Editorials
The Kanye West T Magazine Spread Was Shot by Juergen Teller
10
Social Hip-Hop Apps
The White Label App Promotes Music Discovery Via Social Media
9
Urban Culture Magazines
Greenroom Magazine is a Print Publication for Hip-Hop Beyond Genre
8
Urban Media Apps
'The Senna' Celebrates Memes, Videos and Stories from Hip-Hop Culture
7
Spoofed Hip-Hop Videos
The Cast of SNL Made a Comedic Remake of Drake's Hotline Bling Music Video
6
Intimate Rapper Portraits
Hip Hop Photography Blog Places Plus Faces is Releasing a Zine
5
Presidental Rapper Covers
This New Yorker Cover Imagines a Kanye West Presidency in 2020
4
African American Media Blogs
This Website Provides a Space for African American Entertainment
3
Chicago Rap Culture Documentaries
The Chiraq Vice Documentary Explores Chicago's Rap Culture
2
Gangster Rap Biopics
The Straight Outta Compton Movie Charts the Rise Of N.W.A.
1
Hip-Hop Drama Parodies
This Jimmy Fallon Empire Parody Puts a Hilarious Spin on the Hit Show
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Star-Studded Tech Campaigns
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Creative Play Pop-Ups
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Cross Sports Athletic Wear
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Artist-Inspired Sweaters
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Streetwear Culture Music Partnerships
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Artist-Backed Breakdancing Sneaker
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Music-Informed Fashion Collections
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Digital Streetwear Collaborations
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Connected Gamer Campaigns
Heineken's Just Another Night Out Shatters Anti-Social Stereotypes
Anime-Inspired Fashion Collections
The DGK x Afro Samurai Collection Pays Homage to Japan
Urban Sneaker-Inspired Exhibits
Museum of Graffiti Introduces the Sneaker Stories Pop-Up Exhibit
Provocative Guerrilla Campaigns
Jewelry Brand MWCurated Uses Fake Infidelity Flyers for Marketing
Rapper-Backed Sporty Streetwear
NFL and OVO Launch a New Collection of Streetwear Designs
Sneaker Culture Radio Stations
Nike Created ON AIR.MAX for Nike Air Max Day
Rapper-Inspired Streetwear Brands
Gunna Unveils His New Clothing Brand, P by Gunna
Fine Art-Inspired Fashion
Pacsun & The Met Collaborated on a Covetable Apparel Capsule
Heiress-Created Homeware Collections
Walmart is Launching Paris Hilton's Be An Icon Collection
Retail-Based Pop-Star Takeovers
H&M and Charli xcx Host a Surprise Event at Times Square
Collaboration-Teasing Streetwear Billboards
Supreme and Corteiz Teased a Colaboration in London
Music Culture-Fused Streetwear
Paper Planes Unveils its New Capsule for the Fall 2024 Season
Sweating Billboards
Netflix's Billboard Conveys the Intense Action of Extraction 2
Animation-Inspired Collaborative Streetwear
Highsnobiety Presents a Special Pixar Collection
Hip-Hop-Commemorating Shoes
Timberland Launches a New Purple Boot Inspired by Hip Hop's Origins
Adventure-Inspired Outerwear Campaigns
Canada Goose & KidSuper Drop an NBA All-Star Collection
Football-Inspired Fall Fashion
Umbro and Slam Jam Join Forces on the Penalty Culture Capsule
Limited-Edition Hip-Hop Sodas
Sprite Lymonade Legacy Celebrates 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Rapper-Approved Product Campaigns
Topicals Introduces a New Fading Product with Rapper Flo Milli
Musician-Fronted Luxury Fashion Campaigns
Jacquemus Launched a Campaign Featuring Bad Bunny
Hip Hop-Honoring High-Top Sneakers
Nike Launches a New Air Force 1 High in a Classics Colorway
Rapper-Branded QSR Pop-Ups
Snoop Dogg Just Unveiled a Snoopified Dogg in Tha Box Restaurant Pop-Up
Hip-Hop Heritage Jerseys
Mitchell & Ness Partners with Brands to Launch a Special Jersey Range
Personalized AI Album Covers
Hennessy Created an AI Tool That Turns Selfies into Hip-Hop Album Art
Artist-Inspired Dynamic Basketballs
round21 Designs Basketballs Inspired by Basquiat and Haring
Viral Video Databases
Viral Ideas Offers Inspiration for a Content Creator's Next Big Video
Vibrant Artist Pop-Up Books
Poposition Press Brings Life to the Keith Haring Pop-Up Book
Basketball League-Inspired Apparel
Josh Denzel Unveils his First NBA Collection with Primark
Rapper-Starred Fall Fashion Campaigns
Mallet London Taps Ghetts for Local Legends Campaign
Chic Modern Fashion Collections
Hugo X Les Benjamins Blends Eastern and Western Fashion
Comedic Apparel Campaigns
Kevin Hart and Druski Launch the Fabletics 'Don Pant' with a Short Film
Artist-Honoring Instant Cameras
Polaroid's Now Generation 2 Camera Honors the Work of Basquiat
AI-Powered Music Remixing Apps
Sprite is Reprising its Limelight Music Platform for Consumers
Motorsports Rapper Apparel
KSUBI x A$AP TyY Launch a Limited-Edition Denim Collection
Newspaper-Inspired Apparel Collections
PUMA and STAPLE's Collection Is Inspired by Gidra Newspaper
Hip-Hop Festival-Inspired Skateboarding Capsules
DGK Collaborates with the Rolling Loud Festival
Music-Themed Fashion Apps
Upstream Allows You to Shop the Same Brands Your Favorite Musicians Do
Iconic Artist-Adorned Jeans Lines
The Lee x Jean-Michel Basquiat Capsule is Effortlessly Stylish
Music-Inspired Avatar Campaigns
Bang & Olufsen Launches the See Yourself in Sound Ad
London-Inspired Sporty Campaigns
Nike Presents the Pulse of London Campaign Honoring the City
Automotive Brand Vinyls
The Iconic Playlist Celebrates Mercedes-Benz's Place in Pop Culture
Rapper-Backed Apparel Capsules
OVO Recruits Snoop Dogg, Birdman, and More for an NFL Capsule
Expansive Graphic-Detailed Streetwear
Drama Call Presents its New Collection for the Season
Rapper-Starred Streetwear Campaigns
Loyle Carner Stars in New Always Do What You Should Do Series
Musical Afrofuturism Metaverses
The Verse by Jack Daniels is an Immersive Virtual Experience
Artistic Multi-Beverage Ads
The Coca-Cola Family is Spotlighted in this Unique Ad
NBA-Themed Collaborative Apparel Collections
OVO and NBA Launch Collaborative City-Edition Apparel
Abstract Artful Spring Streetwear
Hyo Isak Presents its New Range of Apparel for the SS23 Season
Hip-Hop-Inspired Sneakers
Nike Unveils Its Latest 'Run The Jewels x Nike SB Dunks' Sneakers
Hip-Hop-Commemorating Concerts
Levi's and Rolling Loud Unite for an Intimate Little Simz Concert
Mexican Designer Collaborative Exhibitions
Hall Haus Presents the Design Mixtape Exhibition
Hip-Hop Group-Approved Cookies
Grandma's Cookies Partnered with Salt-N-Pepa to Unveil its Rebrand
Rapper-Backed Coffee Brands
Pusha T Unveils the Grindin Coffee Brand and Capsule Collection
Basketball-Inspired Fashion Lines
The PUMA x Rhuigi Capsule Draws Inspiration from NYC Basketball
TikTok-Inspired Music Features
Spotify Showcased a Redesigned Homepage for its Mobile App
Music-Inspired Campaigns
The New Pepsi Campaign Features Bad Bunny
Limited Art Apparel Collections
House Industries Launches the Autotype Series of Art and Apparel
Singer-Themed Art Exhibitions
FLANNELS X London Launches an Immersive Beyoncé Exhibition
Rapper-Themed Terracotta Planters
Chia Pet X Ice Spice Brings an 80s Sensation to a New Generation
Rapper-Starring Anime Apparel
Logic and Crunchyroll Launch a Cowboy Bebop Apparel Collection
Gen Z Streetwear Brands
'HOS Wear' Prioritizes Individuality and Self-Expression with its Clothing
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B-side: (Broken) Memory and Remix Presents the BRIC House
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Place+Faces Presents the Film Club Collection
Hockey Culture-Inspired Collections
Better™ Gift Shop Pays Homage to Hockey Culture and Toronto
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Hennessy and cHIP sHOP Join Forces on a New Campaign
Tech-Forward Contemporary Art Exhibitions
SPACES Was Organized by HOFA Gallery and PhillipsX
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Drama Call Presents a Look at its Newest Collection
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Places+Faces Launch Collaboration Tees for 10 Years
Anniversary-Honoring Streetwear Graphics
BAPE Celebrates its 30th Year with the BAPE GALLERY
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Chapter 2 Welcomes New Society to Revolutionize the Media Frontier
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Daily Paper Spotlights Headie One in New FW23 Collection
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Stüssy and Gang Starr Announced New Collaboration Collection
Individualism-Focused Apparel Capsules
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Chips Ahoy's Happy By Design Campaign Spotlights Multicultural Artists
Cozy Rapper-Backed Sneakers
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Designer-Approved Western Apparel
Dapper Dan Debuts a New Spring Collection with GAP
Perception-Redefining Brand Campaigns
Hennessy's Made for More Campaign Boasts a Striking Vision
Canadian Hip-Hop Campaigns
Kardinal Offishall Collaborates with Hop Valley for 'Track-For-All'
Promotional Influencer Videos
Activision Recruits Multiple Creators to Appeal to Gen Z Consumers
Honorary Toronto Capsules
OVO Unveils its 'Hometown Heroes Collection'
Celebratory Hip-Hop Collaborations
Mitchell & Ness Collaborates with Legendary Graffiti Crew Tats
Rapper-Honoring Cannabis Strains
Death Row Records Cannabis Unveils a New 2Pac-Inspired Collection
Artist-Supported Cannabis Series
Green Thumb Industries Introduces the RYTHM Artist Series
Music Culture-Honoring Graphic Tees
Patta's Dance T-Shirt Celebrates the UK's Music Culture
London Creative Loafer Campaigns
G.H. Bass Taps Creatives for the Stepping Out Campaign
Creator Content Hubs
TikTok Launches a New World Hub to Help Brands Connect with Audiences
Pop Culture Presidency Campaigns
Kamala Harris Adopts Charli XCX's 'Brat' Trend for Her Campaign
Fandom-Exploring Sports Partnerships
NFL and Mitchell & Ness Collaborate to Spotlight Fan Stories
Adventure-Inspired Editorials
HBX Has Debuted a New Lookbook with Items from Well-Known Brands
Miniature Artful Hip-Hop Landmarks
Danny Cortes Captures Iconic Hip-Hop Moments Through Art
Media-Based Music Expansions
DistroKid Users Now Have Access to TikTok Music for Promotion
Cultural Social Media Documentaries
Hulu Unveils the Black Lives Matter: A People's History Doc
Music Updates Platforms
Music News Provides the Latest Updates on Industry Movements
Music Content Campaign Tools
Spotify Presents the Showcase Tool for Artists to Promote
Mom-Inspired Rap Generators
MamaRap Creates Raps for Your Mom for Mother's Day and Beyond
Rapper-Inspired Playable Game Characters
Call of Duty Season 5 Will Feature Nicki Minaj
Branded Global Music Programs
Sprite Limelight Season Two Spotlights the Untold Stories of Artists
Tropical Modernism Stage Designs
A Team of Designers Form a South Asian Stage at Glastonbury
Libation-Joint Streetwear Collaborations
Places+Faces Teases its Upcoming Work with Havana Club
Dynamic Online Music Communities
Hearit is a Vibrant Platform for Aspiring Artists
Custom Rap Songs
PapaRap Crafts Personalized Rap Songs for a Unique Father's Day Gift
TV-Specific Pop Informants
COVER Emerges as the Essential App for TV Show Aficionados
Engaging Rap Trivia Games
Rap Trivia is a Fun Hip Hop Trivia Game