MY ADIDAS!!!

Up until this point I've bombarded you all with what seems to be an unpaid advertisement for Nike products. So with this post we're gonna try to appeal to those who may not be a fan of the "swoosh" (Yes, it's a Nike swoosh, not a "check"... believe it or not).

Following suit of my most recent posts, let's stick with the influence of Hip-Hop on the Sneakerhead community and vice versa. As I stated before, the Nike AF1 hasn't always been the "sole of hip-hop." (nice play on words, if I do say so myself) The original kicks to rock were not branded with a "swoosh", but 3 stripes and a toe that is never mistaken. The Adidas Superstar, better known as the "shell-toe", was introduced in 1969 as the 1st low top basketball sneaker. The innovative shell on the upper toe of the shoe was designed to protect the toes of the player wearing the shoe. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is most famous for wearing the shoe upon its release. In 1983, Rap group Run D.M.C. (arguably the originators of new age hip-hop) put the Shell Toe on the hip-hop and sneakerhead map with their classic song "My A.D.I.D.A.S." D.M.C. made a fashion statement being seen wearing the shell toes without any laces. From that point forward the shell toe was the shoe of choice by pop-locking and break-dancing B-boys and B-girls all over. More recently, in 2005, Adidas released the shell toe with the "Run D.M.C." logo to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the shoe.

Here now for your listening and viewing pleasure, a commercial released in 2007 by Adidas for the re-release of the sneaker, complete with a snippet of "My A.D.I.D.A.S." by Run D.M.C.


The shell toe, along with Run D.M.C. are definite legends in their own respective categories and extreme "must haves.

For a complete history of the Adidas Superstar and a list of appearances of the shoe in pop culture
CLICK HERE

Requirements of a "Sneakerhead":
1. Must own signature Jordan' s (There are 23 Original releases...the more, the better)
2. Must own at least one pair of new Air Force 1's...the more the better
3. Must own a pair of Adidas Superstars aka "Shell-Toes" (laces optional)

There's no flip flops in Hip-hop

As you've probably noticed I've made a few references to hip-hop in my posts. Seems as though the sneakerhead community and the hip-hop community have become almost one in the same. Not to say that sneakerheads only listen to hip-hop or that hip-hop artists only wear sneakers by any means. But everywhere u look in hip-hop you do hear references to "sneakers", "kicks", "shoe -game" etc. You can even go as far as to say that arguably hip-hop determines what is "hot" and what is not when it comes to sneakers. Think about it. Every shoe that you see in a hip-hop video, sells out in stores.The free promotion has become the best way to market a shoe. Companies have even started giving artists shoe deals. Take Reebok and 50 Cent for example, A writer from a-1sneakers.com writes,

"Back in 2003, the group G-Unit led by rapper 50 Cent released its debut album called “Beg for mercy”. It had an astonishing success, selling more than two million copies, which led Reebok to release a new line, G Unit Sneakers.G Unit sneakers are not only the most successful products in Reebok’s history but they’re also the most popular hip-hop items ever created.50 Cent endorsed and helped Reebok promote G Unit Sneakers ever since by wearing them almost everywhere. His fans also started wearing G Unit Sneakers because they wanted to be just like their idol, in every aspect.The line evolved and now it includes G Unit boots, t-shirts, and even sunglasses which have also proven to be a huge success for the company.Hopefully, following G-Unit Sneaker’s success, Reebok will release even more great products that will rock the market."

Other artists that have been able to acquire a contract: Eminem, Missy Elliot, Pharell Williams, Daddy Yankee (Reggaeton Artist), & Masta P.

Sneakers and hip-hop go hand in hand..or even better sock in shoe

AF1..The Phenomenon

As I previously mentioned..the Nike Air Force one is a definite essential in a sneakerhead's closet. The Nike Air Force 1, AF1 for short, was released in 1982 as one of the 1st in Nike's AIR design revolution. The leather sneaker came equipped with an air pocket in the sole for comfort! Immediately basketball player's on and off the court began wearing the shoe. Even NBA players were sporting the sneakers. Today, only Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace still wears the shoe in the NBA. 2007 marked the 25 year anniversary of the sneaker, and what better for a birthday gift than to be the number one seller in the history of athletic footwear. In a report by NY Times writer Fred Bierman stated, "Nike declined to release sales figures, but (it's) estimated that about 12 million pairs of the Air Force 1 were sold at its peak in 2005, and 10 million to 11 million were sold last year." (Bierman, 1). The ever so popular shoe can be found in a variety of colors, but the most essential is the All white (low, mid or high). It has become a staple in hip-hop culture today, thus putting it atop the sneakerhead's list of "must haves", but it wasn't always the sneaker that represented hip-hop. However, for ur listening and viewing pleasure:

Nelly and the St. Lunatics - Air Force Ones..Give me 2 purrrrr, I need 2 purrr! haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxGavd199X8
(Apparently Nelly and the St. Lunatics don't allow their videos to be embedded, you're going to have to copy and past the url in the address bar of a new window ..sorry)

For Bierman's complete AF1 article go Here

Requirements of a "Sneakerhead":
1. Must own signature Jordan' s (There are 23 Original releases...the more, the better)
2. Must own at least one pair of new Air Force 1's...the more the better

Look What I Found!

Ok technically I didn't really find it, but i came across this website when I was doing research on my topic:

http://www.sneakerhead.com/

Yup. Somebody has beaten me to the punch...well kind of. Really it's a site that has information on new releases of the hottest shoes on the market. However, it doesn't really give information on what makes or doesn't make someone a sneakerhead. I just thought it'd be a good resource for any other shoe buyers who might need a site to buy shoes.

I like to use http://www.karmaloop.com to buy clothes and sneakers.
http://www.hypebeast.com is a good site to get some inside information on shoes, clothes, accessories, etc. that may be being released as well.

Just thought I'd share.

Where to start?

>>FOR the record..I had written this post already at 1030 PM on Nov. 1, 2009..but in the process of changing the font i accidentally erased it and the auto save feature provided by blogger (such a smart feature) saved the BLANK post over the previous auto save. So I had to rewrite the entire post again from memory, and in frustration I may have made some mistakes. I apologize in advance.<<

I had a hard time deciding where to start when it came to talking about being a "sneakerhead". Should I talk about the origin of sneakers, the evolution of sneakers, the definition of a "sneakerhead", etc? Then I had a thought, "What is it that every avid sneaker buyer must have?...Jordan's!" Starting in 1984 Nike/Air Jordan annually released a signature shoe for arguably the best player to ever play the game of basketball, Michael Jordan. For the next 23 years, The Jordan Brand of shoes became a staple in my generation. It wasn't until 1987 that the Jordan symbol, the silhouette of Michael Jordan spreading his legs in mid-air, actually donned sneakers across America, after Michael Jordan won the dunk contest. The shoes were specially designed after many things including cars and sharks. The innovative designs didn't come without a hefty price however. I remember asking my mother to buy me a pair at a fairly young age, "Mom everybody's getting them! Can I please get some???" Only for her to respond, "I'm not paying $150 for some sneakers you're going to grow out of. You better call Mr. Jordan and ask him to buy you some. Paying for those expensive sneakers isn't putting money in MY pocket!" It goes without saying that I was upset, but in retrospect, she was right. Jordan's were the most expensive sneaker on the market at the time. Why wouldn't they be? Every little boy (and girl) that played basketball wanted to "be like mike!" (I know you remember that commercial!) I even remember when I finally did get my first pair of Jordan's. Granted, it wasn't that long ago. 2004 to be exact. but, even then I understood why it was such a big deal to have a brand new pair of Jordan's. They even had their own "New Jordan Smell". Most recently Jordan brand has been re-releasing the first pairs of the signature series in various colorways and combination packages. Nike has even teamed back up with Jordan brand to create the "fusion" series, a combination of a Jordan brand shoe and Nike's number one selling sneaker; The air force one. Which is a perfect segway for my next blog post. One thing is for sure though, In order to be a "sneakerhead", you MUST own Jordan's. Signature Jordan's.

Requirements of a "Sneakerhead":
1. Must own signature Jordan' s (There are 23 Original releases...the more, the better)


For the complete history of Jordan Brand visit http://www.sneakerhead.com/jordan-brand-history.html

Welcome to My Blog: History of an "Obsession"

So, I was forced to create a blog for Prof. Hart's Advanced Composition class and i thought to myself , "what on earth do i want to blog about?. Nothing. If i wanted to blog about something i would have already." Terrible train of thought to have for an all-semester assignment. Negative attitudes get you nowhere in life, right? So on second thought I decided to choose something that has intreseted me for years-shoes. An intrest thats origins came from none other than my beautiful mother, not because she's obsessed with them or anything, but because of a statement she made to me when I was fairly new to the world, "Erik, you can tell a lot about a man by the shoes he has on his feet." From that point on I payed more attention to the shoes on my feet and in my closet than the race for presidency or even the cost of gasoline. A shoe fettish almost. Now, I've never claimed to be a "sneakerhead" but I do know some. Or do I? What constitutes a "sneakerhead" really? That is what I intend to clarify with this blog. Today marks a long journey, on foot, to find out.