Basketball footwear
and apparel company AND 1
has announced the cities included in this year’s expanded
Mix Tape(TM) Tour. The day-long events in New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia and Los Angeles offer a mix of on-court and
community entertainment, all celebrating the skills, passion
and enthusiasm for summertime ball.
AND 1’s Skip
to my Lou (Rafer Alston of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks), Main
Event, Aircraft, Headache, 1/2 Man-1/2 Amazing, Shane the
Dribbling Machine, A-O and Hot Sauce will ball with the
best local players across the country at daylong basketball
and community events in four U.S. cities: New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Between the events, the players
will travel in a custom wrapped tour bus, barnstorming courts,
radio stations and Footaction stores nationwide, giving
away Mix Tapes(TM) posters and t-shirts.
Each event begins
with a basketball clinic for local youth who will pair up
with AND 1’s players for drills, skills and games. The youth
organization will receive a $25,000 donation from AND 1
following the clinic.
At 3:00 pm the
pre-game block party kicks off with open runs, where local
ball players can show their skills for the opportunity to
be filmed for the next Mix Tape(TM). Graffiti artists HVYW8
will entertain with a live performance, AND 1 will test
new products and local food vendors will offer flavor of
a different kind.
Rawkus Records
will provide musical entertainment throughout the day and
during the main attraction, the Mix Tape(TM) Tour game.
Hosted by BET’s Joe Clair from MADD Sports, the game will
tip off at 5:30 pm and feature the AND 1 players teaming
up with local and national street ballers to bring to life
the skills and thrills of the Mix Tapes.
Halftime entertainment
will be sponsored by a local hip-hop radio station, and
will include the Rawkus’ Lyricist Lounge Freestyle Battle
and a $10,000 shot contest. Each event will be capped off
by a performance from a Rawkus artist, to be performed either
on the court or at a local nightclub.
Other tour locations
are:
Chicago, Saturday,
July 7th
Philadelphia, Saturday, August 4th
Los Angeles, Saturday, August 18th
“AND 1’s Mix
Tape(TM) Tour celebrates the skill, passion and flavor of
summertime ball,” explains AND 1’s director of marketing
Mark Woolsey. “The playground legends like Skip, 1/2 Man-1/2
Amazing, Aircraft and Hot Sauce have the moves and attitude
that made New York’s summertime ball famous nationwide.
The Mix Tape(TM) Tour and Tour Bus takes those players,
music, excitement and attitude and delivers them to cities
across the country like no other basketball company can.”
In the last
24 months, the basketball world has been taken by storm
by the AND 1 Mix Tape(TM), a combination of unbelievable
basketball footage and emerging hip-hop music. Now, AND
1 is celebrating the energy, excitement and rhythm of summertime
ball with the AND 1 Mix Tape(TM) Tour and the live version
of the AND 1 Mix Tape(TM). Check AND1.com for details of
the tour stops, game highlights and video clips.