Is Ludacris Really Built Like That?

13 years ago view-show 715,572

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While cruising the internets today I came across a story about how Ludacris has partnered with Soul headphones.  And a question re-emerged in my mind.  Does Ludacris have a strong enough brand to direct sales to a product he is endorsing?  I think not, but maybe I’m just underestimating him.

Now Dr. Dre & Diddy have come out with Beats By headphones themselves, however those endorsements make a little more sense to me.  Dr. Dre may have the most universally respected brand in hip-hop that dates back for nearly 20 years, and Diddy is to put it lightly, is a branding machine.

Part of the reason I asked this question in the first place, is because Ludacris actually came out with his own line of liquor, Conjure.  The thing that is most likely different than his deal with Soul headphones is that I believe that Ludacris invested his own money into the creation of the cognac line.  As opposed to his deal with Soul, where they more than likely are licensing him to sponsor the company (a flat fee regardless of how the line of headphones sell).  Or potentially offered him equity in the company at no cost.  However, I could be slightly wrong about the structuring of these deals.

The point I’m mainly making is that the music business is drastically changing.  People are going about developing revenue streams differently.  Maybe the amount of cd’s an artist sells really is irrelevant.  Maybe we should be asking, can this (inset artist name) sell headphones?  I mean headphones are really an interchangeable variable.  A lot of products could work.  I think this is a phenomena that we as hip-hop fans need to be aware off.  If we refuse to pay for music, the ability for an artist to attach their name and likeness to a tangible product and make it sell is vital for the financial success of said artist.

It’s also interesting to see an artist develop a company on his own.  Now while I’m unsure in Ludacris’ ability to create a successfil congac company, at least he has evolved from the free money mentality.  This entropeneurial attempts aren’t exactly new occurrences in the world of hip-hop.  I just think that these oppertunities are as important as ever, and should not be seen as an afterthought.  As far as Ludacris and his abilty to make companies “win”, I’m still unsure off.  I guess only time will tell.  For the time being he seems to be living comfortably.

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