Campaign: Jordan "Much Respect"

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, NY

Music: Mos Def "Umi Says"

Director: Paul Hunter, HSI

The "Much Respect" campaign gives props to athletes who've not only gone pro, but prevailed in the everyday fight for survival. A revamped version of existing Mos Def track "Umi Says" accompanies each spot's visuals, which showcase athletes (including Jordan) participating in the inner-city community.

"The overall concept was even though you are part of a bigger game, you have to show respect for others and yourself. There's nothing wrong with being positive and approachable and being more than an arrogant, overpaid, overzealous athlete," says copywriter Adrian Hilton. As a hip-hop fan, Hilton recognized the potential in the positive, soulful message conveyed in "Umi Says."

"'Umi Says' was created as a wonderful song from [Mos Def]'s heart. It just so happened what we were saying worked with it and the stars and planets aligned. Being a hip-hop fan, I can smell prefab right away. If you want something done right, you have to go to the source. That's not to say music houses don't always do good jobs, but for the most part, they are not the people creating for the purpose of creating, and there is a big difference there."

Campaign: Lugz "Pirate Radio"

Agency: Avrett Free & Ginsberg, NY

Music: De La Soul, original track

Director: Chel White, Curious Pictures

Associate creative director Rory Braunstein identifies the connection between Lugz and hip-hop as spontaneous performance.

"In all areas of hip-hop culture (e.g. music, graffiti, dance), the ability to spontaneously perform or 'freestyle' under any circumstance is what gets ultimate respect," says Braunstein, noting that Lugz has been down with the likes of De La Soul, Erick Sermon and Snoop Dogg for over a decade.

"We worked with De La Soul again (they did the track for last year's Christmas spot) because they bring the power of authentic, innovative hip-hop our target demands," he explains.

"I had a conceptual meeting with the group where we watched the finished picture and kicked around some musical ideas. They're a pleasure to work with and very open to collaboration. After agreeing on a few directions to pursue, we planned to meet in the studio. They did their thing, listened to my input and at the end of a two-day session, we had a great track."

Campaign: Gatorade "Leave it on the Floor"

Agency: Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago

Music: LL Cool J, original track

Director: Fritz Flieder, Ritts Hayden

FCB creatives Colin Costello and Jeff Edwards worked with Santa Monica's Subzero (a subsidiary of Hum) to find a major rap artist to lend an authentic street feel to the visuals for "Leave it on the Floor."

"They wanted to license an existing piece from a high-level, well-known rap artist but it was out of their budget, so we asked them for their wish list," says Dave Curtin, director of special projects for Hum, including Subzero, a company linking the ad industry with up-and-coming and established artists. In this case, Curtin made use of his contacts with Mike Ovitz's Artist Management Group, which represents Cool J. Curtin says the project was, in part, pitched to Cool J as an excellent way to help market his latest record.