Run-DMC on stage, shell-toe Adidas Superstars with no laces, gold chains, black fedoras. The image that started everything.

Hip-Hop / Legacy

Run-DMC

Before Travis Scott, before Kanye, before Pharrell — there was Run-DMC and Adidas. In 1986, they became the first non-athletes to get a sneaker endorsement deal, turning the Adidas Superstar from a basketball shoe into a hip-hop uniform. 'My Adidas' wasn't just a song — it was a business plan that created an entire industry. Every musician-brand collaboration that followed owes something to this moment.

1 collaborations5 timeline events

Timeline

1983
Run-DMC form in Hollis, Queens — Adidas Superstars are already their uniform
1986
'My Adidas' released; the group holds up their sneakers at Madison Square Garden
1986
Adidas signs Run-DMC to $1.6M deal — first non-athlete sneaker endorsement in history
2020
50th anniversary Superstar reissues with Run-DMC branding
2023
Legacy continues: Run-DMC × Adidas remains the template for every music-brand deal

Collaborations

Adidas · 1986–present

Designer · Run-DMC × Adidas