Running x hiphop is the match we were not expecting

This year, we are seeing hip-hop artists swerve into the running craze. But why? It turns out that running and hip-hop culture are actually more alike than we would think. Sure, both rap and running come from the streets. But, there is more to that.

Atlanta-based artist Gunna recently posted a video of himself running in the streets surrounded by black SUVs. You might even be forgiven for mistaking the rapper for a fitness influencer with a brand deal while scrolling Instagram.

UK rapper Central Cee, who released his latest album ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ at the end of January, posted a vlog of his travel in Japan, where he casually ran a 5km in just over 25 minutes in his hotel gym.

French rap artist Riles recently made headlines for the rollout campaign of his latest album’ Survival Mode’. He started by filming himself running for 100km during nine hours straight on a treadmill on January 1. Then 120km for 12 hours. And he finally ran 24 hours straight on February 9 on a treadmill in a room full of 3,000 rowdy fans for 205km.

Even though Riles states that he still doesn’t consider himself a runner, it is quite interesting to witness the collision of the worlds of rap music and running.

Whether it is for self-promotion, beautiful imagery or content creation, the fact that it is being co-opted by rappers is the ultimate proof that running is now officially cool.

After all, rap culture is pop culture. And the signs were already there.

You might have seen leading sports brands like Nike or Adidas releasing super shoes at a high price level. The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 currently retails for 500 EUR. And these shoes instantly sold out and ended up on resale websites.

In its sixth annual culture report, StockX revealed that Saucony ranked among the top five fastest-growing sneaker brands on the resale platform for the first time, landing at No. 5 with 120% growth.

And, of course, a lot has been said and written about how mainstream running clubs are becoming all over the world, with young people craving connection and looking for outdoor activities to make new friends.

All of this has been helped by the fact that running brands have been upping the game lately in terms of apparel design and marketing strategy. Every challenger brand such as On or Bandit of the space has been hitting their groove and dropping fire merch and buzzy collabs left and right.

So, what’s next?

We have to celebrate this unlikely marriage. This year will probably bring more examples of crossover between the universes of hip-hop music and running. Could ‘The Running Interview’ by Kate Mackz become the new feature of rap album promos, just like sitting down with Zane Lowe of Apple Music? She has already had conversations while running with musical guests such as Diplo, Mike Posner or Jason Derulo.

Can we even dream of a multipronged partnership between a running brand and a hip-hop artist (à la Peloton x Beyoncé)?

It is true that Eminem’s music is already in everyone’s favorite playlists at the gym with ‘Till I Collapse’ and ‘Lose Yourself’ among the top five global workout songs per Spotify.

We might soon be looking for our favorite artists profiles on Strava instead of YouTube Music.

Read more opinion on The Drum.