Professor Josh Ehrig, Professor James B. Peterson - Hustle Hard - Week Six lyrics

Week Six Reading: Steve Stoute's The Tanning of America (Chapter 5-6) Chapter 5 - Marketing CDs with Shoelaces Stoute uses a story about a group of white teenagers on a skiing resort in Aspen to show how the "tanning effect" works. This particular group of young men knew and loved everything about both The Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu-Tang Clan. Stoute was amazed by this and this began his fascination with this phenomenon. Mariah Carey's collaboration with various rappers and Hip-Hop producers is also mentioned as a product of the tanning effect. ODB and Puff Daddy to be specific. There is mention of a music video service called "The Box" that allowed viewers to call a 1-800 number and request a video for a fee. As Hip-Hop grew, this service did not last. Stoute admits that local mom-and-pop stores actually had a large advantage over larger businesses for the simple fact that they know their customer and their likes and needs. Lil Wayne uses the term " Bling Bling" (a glorifying term for the shine and luster of j**elry) on a record and the popularization of the term becomes an obvious case for Stoute's hypothesis. Rapper, Eminem is discussed as a symbol of the effect of tanning and how it is a cross-racial, cross-cultural phenomenon. Stoute then draws upon a Time magazine article from 1999 that famously declared 70% of Rap music was being consumed by a white audience. Will Smith is a large part of this chapter and his influence as a brand. Stoute begins with Smith's background as an emcee, moving into his acting abilities, and then focusing on his international stardom that have allowed him to endorse products (like Ray-Bans in the film, Men in Black) and watch them become popular internationally. After the film, Stoute says that Ray-Bans sales increased by over 500 percent. Stoute touches on other markets that have succeeded with the help of Hip-Hop culture, as few of them being alcohol, footwear, and sporting goods. Chapter 6 - Mirrors and the Velvet Rope In this chapter, Stoute begins to highlight what is known as the "Sneaker Wars", a time period where the top footwear companies were battling for market share. Hip-Hop has actually had a huge impact on the making or breaking of sneaker companies. The Nike Air Force One is the prime example of a shoe that is intertwined and representative of Hip-Hop culture. Reebok after having success in the 80s and early 90s, needed to be re-branded and given another shot at competing with companies like Nike and Adidas. Allen Iverson became the sports figure to change the game for Reebok. The company fully embraced Iverson and his Hip-Hop sensibilities. Both Jay Z and 50 Cent sign with Reebok to promote their own sneakers. This is the first time in which a rapper had signature sneakers. This Week's Playlist