By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Rocket Licensing has been appointed to manage licensing in the UK and other countries in Europe for The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop.
The program is an innovative campaign that honors the legends and communities that birthed the cultural movement of Hip Hop in 1973.
“Hip hop has been a phenomenon for fifty years—a major cultural landmark and one that undoubtedly needs to be celebrated!,” said Rob Wijeratna, Joint Managing Director of Rocket Licensing, “We are delighted to be part of this collaboration and to contribute in any way we can in raising awareness of this extremely important historic anniversary.”
As a way to build a permanent bridge back to the communities that created the hip hop culture, and to uplift those communities, The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop campaign is organizing a number of concerts, events and collaborations, as well as investing in content creation and licensing.
One of the ways the program is giving back to the community is through the For The Culture Fund, which has an initial goal of raising $250 million dollars. The fund will be issuing to 50 US-based organizations that will improve the communities that birthed the hip hop culture.
Partnering with NGO Beats Rhymes & Relief, as well as the Carver Federal Savings Bank (to house the fund), The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop aims to capture the spirit of the hip hop community in its formative years.
The US firm Brand Liaison is heading the global licensing effort, but this week UK-based Rocket Licensing was tapped to work with licensees in the UK and across a broad swath of Europe. The two companies say Rocket will be working with licensees to direct a portion of the royalties to both the For The Culture Fund and other local organizations.
“It’s a great honour to be part of a campaign that celebrates one of the most influential cultural and musical movements of the past half-century,” said Brand Liaison CEO Stephen Heller. “We’re sure that The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop will capture the imagination of millions and we’re thrilled to have the support of Rocket in the key markets of the UK and Europe.”
The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop already has plans for merchandising, activities and events highlighting the core elements of hip-hop, which will include MC’ing and DJ’ing music events, displays of graffiti art, breaking (aka break dancing) and general knowledge.
The potential product categories include apparel, footwear, headwear, sunglasses, records, stationery, tech accessories, gifts, games, toys and novelty items.
Rocket has already been hard at work, and in fact, the first UK licensee for The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop has already been signed.
Pop culture product innovator and manufacturer of licensed apparel and accessories Bioworld International Ltd is planning to produce a range of daywear, loungewear, nightwear and accessories for adults and older children. It will reach retail in the UK and Europe in late summer this year, to coincide with The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop.
The daywear range includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, fashion tops, shirts, jackets and trousers. There will also be loungewear, including leggings, shorts, joggers and tops, as well as nightwear – pyjamas, nightshirts and robes. The apparel ranges are supported by an accessories range composed of headwear, bags, backpacks and small accessories.
More Background
The Brand Liaison To Lead Licensing For The 50th Anniversary Of Hip Hop
The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop Announces First Slate of Licensing Partners
Run-DMC Co-Founder Darryl McDaniels Inks Wide Ranging Licensing Deal