TIME

Hip Hop's Online Shop

Ed Foy, CEO of web retailer eFashion Solutions and self-described "hick from the sticks" was lingering near the display booth for Rocawear, rapper Jay-Z's apparel line, at a fashion trade show in Las Vegas in February. Suddenly hip-hop impresario Damon Dash, who is Rocawear's celebrity CEO and Jay-Z's longtime business partner, grabbed Foy's hand and leaned his shoulder against Foy's "a half a hug," Foy calls it. "eFashion Solutions. Nice," a smiling Dash told Foy. "Real nice." Dash dished out "props" for good reason: powered by eFashion's Web design and marketing, Rocawear is on pace to nearly triple its online sales this year. There was only one problem with the cozy encounter: Foy thought he was hugging some web geek; he had no clue what Dash looked like.