Nas has been one of the few big hip-hop artists to stay away from Corporate America partnerships for years…until now. Nas has just signed a one-year partnership deal with Fila who has aggressively been trying to play the urban market. As part of the deal, Fila will financially back Nas’ print and TV ad campaign and his upcoming tour in support of his new album, due July 15. In return, Nas will wear Fila and even create an apparel line that draws from fashions of the late ’80s.

“My best friend Will and I loved Fila,” Nas tells Billboard. “It represented prestige and everything that was cool to us. When Will passed, we buried him in a black Fila sweat suit, so doing a deal with them has a lot of significance for me.” This deal just shows the direction the music business in general has gone. With limited marketing budgets, artists are now looking for partners to help front costs for the expensive media dollars. Can’t wait to see what Nas comes up with for his Fila line. Via: NahRight

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