«GOOD BUSINESS IS THE BEST ART»

For their first collection of new material in half a decade, legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul chose to work with Nike instead of a Big Four record label or even an indie. For their new 44-minute workout LP, "Are You in?: Nike+ Original Run," arriving in the iTunes Store tomorrow, the 20-year music veterans said they were never looking for a brand to support them; they merely found a generous partner who also wanted to be a creative collaborator. Or vice versa."When an opportunity presents itself, and it's challenging, it's tasteful and it actually opens doors to new listeners, a new audience, we're up for it," founding member David Jude Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy the Dove, told Madison & Vine.In past years, the group has helped design two signature versions of the Dunk SB shoe and performed at multiple Nike outdoor events.

Ad Age
April 27 2009