50 Cent has been working with Intel to create “smart earbuds” called the SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear Headphones.
These headphones collect fitness data such as heart rate and do not need to be regularly charged.
The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said that he was inspired to work with Intel after Apple bought out Beats headphones. “Beats helped me,” he said. “Whenever a company makes a deal, there’s a different house on the other side of the street, ya know? So I went over to that house.”
50 Cent announced the partnership at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
While SMS is using the “smart” headphones as an edge over the competition, they have also signed a marketing deal with Star Wars‘ Lucasfilms. Jackson said that the Star Wars deal hugely propelled sales forward. “What we projected for the first quarter of sales, the line outsold in two days,” he said. “That’s what opened my eyes to the passion for the Lucas brand. It’s not just kids. It’s people who encountered [Star Wars] as kids. That passion isn’t fading. It’s still strong.”
With the next Star Wars movie coming out at the end of this year, the headphones might just see another big burst in sales.