I remember being given a radio with the huge slot on the side for the 8-track cassette. It was a small radio but it was cool and I knew I was too FLY. When my family decided that they would hit me with an upgrade to a cassette player, I was excited. No longer was I forced to listen to the 8-track all the way to the end without being able to fast forward or rewind a hot verse.
The first cassette tape that I was given was Curtis Blow and he was rapping about, These are the Breaks. CB, ever smooth on the microphone, captured my mind and made me wonder in amazement what was going on in the streets of New York City. After all, New York is the city that never sleeps and Curtis Blow was rapping about the many goingson in the city. If it wasn't about the ladies, it was about the fashion and going to house parties where fellas were dipped and the ladies were foxy fly.
Curtis Blow rapped about playing basketball and wearing Converse or Puma Clydes. Today, rappers are spitting verses about wearing the new Jordans, S dot Carters, AI's, Nikes or Converse's.
Sneakers are an expression of the person wearing them. Seventy-five per cent (75%) of the sneakers sold in the United States are not used for the sport they were designed for. Amazed that the number is that high? It doesn't surprise me as these days it's all about looking FLY and showing that one can have a pair of kicks that no one else may have. Exclusivity has taken on a entirely new meaning.
So the next time you sit down to watch some music videos on MTV, BET or VH1, pay attention to what the rappers are wearing on their feet and you'll notice the great variety of sneakers. Rappers love kicks. Simply put.
Fat Joe kickin' it at Packer Shoes (NJ) with some Kobe Air Force 1's.
Fat Joe with the exclusive "Gator" Air Force 1's. Notice Joe's name on the inside of the sneaker. Only made for 5 people in the US. Exclusivity!
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