Rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is gearing up for the launch of a new multimedia ad campaign promoting his new line of Rocawear clothing.
The campaign, titled “I Will Not Lose,” is meant to inspire consumers while promoting Hip-Hop culture and the lifestyle surrounding it, Carter told AllHipHop.com.
“The ‘I Will Not Lose’ campaign represents the Rocawear attitude, the belief behind Hip-Hop and the culture,” Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com exclusively about the slogan, which is also a line taken from “Change the Game,” a single on his album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.
“Hip-Hop has survived when people thought it was a fad,” Jay-Z said. “Rocawear continues to grow and expand eight years later.”
The “I Will Not Lose” campaign, which is scheduled to launch Aug. 15 on iwillnotlose.org, will be presented to consumers in a series of short documentary-style testimonies from various individuals dressed in Rocawear, who share how they overcame major obstacles in their lives.
Consumers can become a part of the ad campaign by submitting videos telling their stories of survival on iwillnotlose.org.
Viewers will vote for their favorite stories and two of the top-voted individuals will be featured in the spring-summer Rocawear campaign.
Among those appearing in the latest ads are R&B singers Ciara, Chris Brown, Memphis rap collective Three 6 Mafia, radio personality EBro Darden, Rich Boy, Toccara and others.
Stills shot by photographer Mark Seliger will also run in a series of magazines like Vibe, Complex, Teen Vogue, Giant, Essence, Seventeen and Cookie.
The ads will also appear on billboards in urban areas nationwide and on popular Internet Hip-Hop web sites.
“I Will Not Lose” comes amid talk of Rocawear sales reaching the $1 billion mark by expanding internationally, getting into retail and growing its women’s business.
Rocawear is also preparing a men’s and women’s fragrance line for the 2008 holiday season.