5 Major Audio Brands That Celebrities Used To Own

Celebrities endorsing a set of headphones can be great for business, but a celebrity actually having a stake in the company is an entirely different beast altogether. Considering exploring the world of headphones is kind of our thing (like being able to show you highly rated headphones for under $50, naturally), we wanted to look at the celebrity side of audio hardware and take a quick dive into some major audio brands people might not know are backed by some rather famous names. Just try not to be too star-struck when you see the list.

With one of the more successful names in headphones being owned by an equally successful hip-hop star, several other rappers were also inspired to get into the industry thanks to Beats headphones. It's likely one reason we have brand names like Soul Electronics and the slightly less familiar SMS Audio. However, Raycon is also backed by a successful television star, though we also wanted to take a quick look at some of the stranger collaborations between artists and major brands.

Like celebrities themselves, many of these brands have their own successes and failures, and this includes the quality of the products alongside the actual lifespan of the companies involved. As far as purchases go, some may be better off looking for the best wireless headphones for every budget over some of the devices on this list, but the story behind many of these companies and brands can make for a nice history lesson. You may enjoy the artist's entertainment, but their headphones may be a different story.

Hip-hop fanatics may know Dr. Dre for his landmark 1992 album "The Chronic" or helping kickstart rapper Eminem's career, but the Compton, California, star is also no stranger to launching one of the more successful headphone brands. In 2006, Dre partnered with investor and label-mate Jimmy Iovine to launch the Beats audio brand. While the company was acquired by Apple in July 2014, Beats would need some help from some other familiar brands in tech and audio to truly get its start.

We may salivate over the Beats and Pokémon partnership we didn't know we needed, but the Beats brand originally partnered with Monster Cable to produce its first set of headphones in 2007. In 2008, the partnership would also help launch the first pair of Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones. With a dominating marketing team (that Apple still takes major cues from), the audio company also joined forces with HTC in 2011. The Taiwanese tech giant would also buy a majority of the company for $309 million that year, with Dre and Iovine buying back 25% of the company a year later.

Jumping ahead a bit, Beats would get involved in a messy legal battle with Monster over who truly "made" the Beats brand. However, Apple had already acquired Beats for a staggering $3 billion by that point. Along with Apple snagging the Beats Audio lineup, the company also received the audio platform that would help launch Apple Music. Today, the company is still referred to as Beats by Dre, and celebs like Patrick Mahomes and Kendall Jenner help sell Beats 360 headsets.

Don't be surprised if you see a lot of rappers on this list. When artist Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson isn't busy getting everyone to celebrate their birthday with his hit 2003 single "In Da Club," he's actually quite the savvy businessman. Those with a keen eye may know 50 Cent more for making a $100 million deal with Vitaminwater, but the NYC-based artist is also known for building Studio Master Sound, or SMS Audio.

Founding the company in 2011, Jackson quickly purchased Kono Audio to help with launching products, and the rapper's approach to offering celebrities ownership stakes rather than promotional contracts helped the company establish endorsements. The original premium lineup consisted of Sync by 50, which were $400 wireless headphones, Street by 50 ($300 over-ear headphones), and Street by 50 ($150 in-ear buds). While some reviews found the over-ear headphones to be overpriced, the company would also have its own set of problems.

Without making things too messy, 50 Cent was involved with one of Jimmy Iovine's record labels. You may remember this name, as it was one of the individuals behind Beats headphones. Jackson would take his own record label (G-Unit Records) independent, but he also found the headphone industry was far more competitive than he initially realized. SMS Audio eventually suspended operations in 2016, though some SMS products are available on the G-Unit Brands website. Jackson is still a celebrity in many ways, though he also spends time getting streaming services to fight over documentaries about his enemies.

Television bingers may know William "Ray J" Ray Norwood Jr. for his string of reality shows like "For the Love of Ray J" and "Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business" — though his song "Sexy Can I" with Yung Berg did make it to No. 3 on the Billboard charts in 2008. Founded in New York City in 2017, Raycon was started by Ray J and Ray Lee, with Ray J acting as chief strategic officer and Lee working in product development and operations. Ray J used what he learned from his e-scooter company Scoot-E (sold to LoopShare) to take the Raycon brand in a different direction.

Focusing on affordable lifestyle earbuds, Raycon started with a variety of in-ear offerings, including Everyday earbuds, Raycon Performance, and Raycon Fitness. However, it was the company's reliance on tapping into YouTube content creators that helped it gain popularity, as the brand splashed onto the social media scene with a wave of sponsorships. Even in 2026, the company sponsors over 940 creators and has close to 2,400 deals.

Unfortunately, Ray J's time with the company wouldn't last long, and the entertainer found himself selling his shares in the company, departing from Raycon Global in 2024. However, the deal potentially brought in up to $100 million for Ray J, and he focused on launching the Tronix Network television platform. This includes the Nothing But Kontent streaming service, which has titles like "Citizen's Arrest," "Fresh Out of Love," and "Dr Unc." All in all, not bad for a guy who helped produce a set of headphones audiophiles steer clear of.

50 Cent wasn't the only artist inspired by Dr. Dre's Beats, as Atlanta, Georgia, hip-hop star and "Fast & Furious" actor Christopher "Ludacris" Brian Bridges also dabbles in the world of consumer sound. Even though some users say to avoid these headphones, Soul Headphones began its journey in 2010 and was hitting worldwide distribution by 2011. In the early days, models from Soul would include SL150 and SL100 on-ear models, the SL300 noise-canceling headphones, and the SE99 and SE49 in-ear headphones.

Priced at $299, the SL300s were meant to compete directly with Beats Studio headphones, though one Stereophile reviewer still found the Studios to sound "marginally better." Like others on this list, Soul Electronics had plenty of celebrities to help endorse its products, including the K-Pop group Big Bang and NFL player Tim Tebow. For Tebow, the star received his own pair of SL300TEBOW noise-canceling headphones, though customers would be shelling out around $300 for their own. Soul would also collaborate with internet sensation PSY (of "Gangnam Style" fame) in 2014. However, Ludacris parted ways with Soul around the same time.

Today, Soul still produces headphones, and the company even launched the "world's first AI wireless earphones with gait analysis" in 2018. Known as the Run Free Pro Bio, these in-ear headphones offer a voice coach to help users train for running. The gait analysis feature, meanwhile, helps users with running metrics like symmetry, cadence, and balance. Despite mixed user reviews, today's Soul headphones can be good for a bass-heavy sound.

While this list primarily focuses on celebs who have owned their own brands, it would feel like a real missed opportunity to not go over some of the more peculiar collaborations between artists and headphone manufacturers. Sure, we've already covered that Kendall Jenner has endorsed Beats 360 headphones, but there's also AKG's partnership with 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones. Jones helped produce Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and the Quincy Jones Signature Line featured devices like $480 Q701 over-ear headphones, and the $230 Q460 on-ear mini headphones.

Of course, there's also celebrity heartthrob Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's partnership with JBL and Under Armour to produce the Project Rock in-ear ($199) and over-ear ($249) training headphones that were designed for the actor's "Chase Greatness" line of lifestyle products. Despite being built for working out (including breathable "SuperVent" materials from Under Armour), a review for Mashable found the over-ears "flimsy." But when you're consistently one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, you may not need to worry about hardware durability.

If you really want to talk peculiarity, however, there's also the posthumous collaboration between Monster and Jazz legend Miles Davis, with the company releasing the Miles Davis Tribute In-Ear Headphones in 2009. Retailing for $500, they went heavy on the trumpet theme (including a special case that looked like Davis' own trumpet case) and reviewers found them to be incredibly comfortable. Finding any of these headphones today may be its own challenge, but remember we can always recommend some of the best wireless Hi-Fi headphones for home.