From street teams to music and now fashion, former Loud Records founder Steve Rifkind is making hip-hop pay. The music industry vet, best known for his success with the Wu-Tang Clan & Mobb Deep among others, is taking his schtick to the fashion world with the launch of his new urban line, Street Team.

Hip-Hop fashion is a high stakes game, but Rifkind is not afraid to gamble. With marketers cashing in on hip-hop trends, Steve Rifkind is taking it back to his street team days to peddle his new mens and womens wear. "I've been thinking about doing this for about 15 years," Rifkind said. "Finding the right partner was very important."

The clothing line, that's named "Street Team" reminiscent of Rifkind's successful Street Team marketing company that revolutionized grassroots promotion, will be geared to the urban market, specifically music and athletic fans. Borrowing from a Rocawear concept, Street Team's sweat pants, for example, will be equipped with pockets to hold such urban music staples as pagers, cell phones, two-ways and the latest craze, iPods. The line will feature other accessories such a backpacks, key chains and wallets. Leading department stores including Macy's and Bloomingdale's will carry the line, which is planned for a fall launch.

Rifkind recently re-emerged on the music scene with a new label, Street Records, which signed the new artist, David Banner. Banner's single, "Like A Pimp", just had a top 10 debut on the album charts. Rifkind gained fame as the powerhouse behind Wu-Tang Clan, creating a tremendous groundswell of support for the group whose albums consistently broke sales records.

SOHH.com