Up-and-coming New Orleans-born hip hop artist Ariel Riley, a.k.a. 504icygrl (she’s nominated for a Best of The Beat Award for Best Emerging Artist this year), landed her biggest accomplishment yet—a campaign with Nike.

Growing up on the West Bank and spending a lot of time in the Jefferson Parish Library allowed Riley to become a skilled writer at a very young age. Moving out to Los Angeles alone in 2018, Riley began writing short stories and more, then moved on to start her music career. In 2022, 504icygrl booked BUKU, her first major festival in New Orleans, dropped her third EP, “Princess Diaries,” landed major sync licensing placements and sold out multiple dates on her first nationwide tour, The Princess Diaries Tour. Her music tells her story of hard work as a female entrepreneur and artist that flows with confidence and bouncy lyricism.

New Orleans hip-hop artist 504icygrl landed a campaign deal with Nike. Photo courtesy of 504icygrl.

The Nike AF1 shoe is an iconic fashion staple in New Orleans—where the locals call them “G-Nikes” (pronounced Gee-Niek). For AF1’s 40th anniversary, the super brand tapped into multiple cities in America to collaborate on unique designs for the classic shoe. The New Orleans AF1 was inspired by New Orleans rap icons— including the legends and the new generation. Team Nike reached out to New Orleans rap stars—Rob49, 504icygrl and Isis Marie—to be the faces of the NOLA AF1, along with the rap legend Curren$y—and Kings of Brass, recent winners of the Red Bull Street Kings brass band competition. Kings of Brass will perform on November 10 at the Best of The Beat Awards at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

“Being a part of this campaign makes me feel like I am a New Orleans legend in the making. I’ll never forget this moment in my career,” she said.

504icygrl’s deal with Nike traces back to the tear she’s been on since beginning her career in 2019 when she released her debut single “9am” while simultaneously starting the first-ever cannabis brand in New Orleans—504Exotics—at 20 years old. She went on to drop her debut project, “Trap Etiquette,” that showcased her catchy production choices. Her recording streak is continuing, and she’s released several singles that led to other projects.

Listen to her most recent release, “Princess Diaries” here.