Marvel's all up in your grill: Marvel Enterprises, that "global character-based entertainment licensing company," and hip-hop clothing company AST Sportswear have announced a deal to produce a line of Marvel urban streetwear. "The new apparel will combine the fresh, street vibe of the hip-hop world with several characters from the Marvel Universe, to produce edgy clothing with a distinct flare."

Wait, it gets better. Here's AST's Larry Zimmer, on Marvel's street cred:

"There is an evident connection between the hip-hop community and the Marvel brand. We began to realize the immense connection through our conversations with top creators in the hip-hop industry and many of our consumers who referenced the Marvel mythos time and time again. By combining our popular urban apparel line with the many Marvel characters we will bring these two cultures together through a line of affordable, high-quality clothing."

And Marvel's Tim Rothwell is keepin' it real:

"Marvel is quite simply one of the premiere entertainment brands available in the market today. Our characters have a 21st Century edge and hipness to them and nothing speaks louder to these same values than hip-hop. This will also function on a truly symbiotic level where we will work with AST in developing specifically tailored designs for the line and crossovers in our comic books and various forms of music can be expected."