Converse is continuing its collaborative hot streak with a new campaign featuring hip-hop icon Doug E. Fresh and a cameo from Diplomats CEO Jim Jones. Entitled 'The Procession,' the campaign strives to pay homage to what Converse dubs "legends of the past, present and future."

The ads were directed by Antoine Faqua show how hip-hop has been the near-official music of the street basketball since its Bronx inception in the late '70s. Mixing the old with the new, Doug E. Fresh appears in the series as a hip-hop icon from the past that's passing the torch to a new generation. Jones, grinning with his trademark street contempt, leads a procession of bouncing basketballs, boomboxes and what appear to be pallbearers carrying trophies.

Fuqua recently spoke on the game's power and how Converse is harnessing basketball's street appeal to sell some shoes. "Basketball is like a ritual," he said. "The basketball being the thing that brings everybody [together]. The rhythm and the beat. Converse is taking it to the streets. The streets are the heartbeat."

The ads will be shown both online and on major television networks. They first appeared during FOX's prime time run on September 26 and will continue to run throughout the fall season.

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