Mics and Three Stripes
I’m sitting here and Brown Sugar is on. It’s been on a few times recently, so it’s really just playing the background at this point. However, it does have me thinking about Hip Hop/Rap culture. This spiraled into how it’s played a part in sneaker culture, and after some thinking I came to an interesting thought. Has Adidas always been the sneaker brand of Hip Hop and Rap culture? Undoubtedly one of most rememberable rap lyrics of last year was “Checks over stripes, that’s what I like”. It’s a great line from Drake and speaks to the relationship he and Travis Scott have with Nike. But as far as rap artists go, there are far and few between that represent the swoosh. Even when I look back the relationship between artists and Nike never really seemed to be a partnership or reliant on the artist or rap music as a culture. Adidas on the other hand seemed to flourish in that. Understanding the direct correlation between style, streetwear, rap, and sneaker culture.
The first thing that comes to mind with Adidas and Hip Hop culture is Run DMC. The Adidas Superstar is a classic shoe to both Hip Hop and sneakers, and synonymous with the legendary rap group. Honestly, it can be argued to this day that their impact to sneaker culture is still unparalleled. They defined a time period, and defined style from the sneakers, to the tracksuits and tees they had to style with them. Taking cues from their Queens upbringing, and completely changing how we would look at sneakers forever. Simple nuances like removing the laces from their shoes altered the entire dynamic to how the shoes were being looked at. Stories of legend came from the impact they had after releasing the record “My Adidas”. There are countless accounts of live performances where arenas full of fans would take off their shoes and hold them towards the stage while the group performed. This didn’t just happen domestically either. There is a story of a show overseas where the fans didn’t even speak English. Run asks “Do you want to see power?”, takes off his shoe and the entire crowd shows him their Adidas in solidarity. That’s just a different type of impact.
Later ties between Adidas and Hip Hop culture added some of the most coveted artists of their eras. Like their forefathers Run DMC who received their own sneakers from Adidas, many other artists have done the same at a much higher frequency than other brands. Snoop Dogg, Missy, 2chainz, Big Sean, Teyanna Taylor, B.O.B, Nicki Minaj, Mos Def, Method Man, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky, and Pusha T all come to mind immediately. Push having one of the most consistent runs with releases, has been one that I feel doesn’t always get the full credit he deserves. His releases have definitely shown quality, variety, and originality which is easily lost. He has had five different releases with Adidas thus far and each one has been solid. That’s something I believe we have to stop and admire. To yet to have designed his own silhouette, and still deliver as he has, that’s an amazing accomplishment. The releases also weren’t excessively limited either. They had a good balance of price, availability, and style that made them coveted and sought after. These are the things that make Adidas so impressive when it comes to working with artists. There seems to be an understanding and true partnership in visions and execution that make things that much better for the consumer and culture itself.
Beyond the artists we’ve named, there are a few others that are definitely controlling the pulse of the sneaker industry itself. This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Kanye and Pharrell. In fact we can even mention Swizz Beatz under the family tree, since he is Reebok’s Creative Director and they are a subsidiary of Adidas. As controversial as Ye may be the industry still goes into a frenzy whenever he puts something out. Whether we feel good, bad, or indifferent, when it comes to Kanye we are always vocal about how we feel to what he’s doing. That is another type of power. We spoke to how Run felt they had power, Kanye has his own in his own right as well. With Pharrell we get what we have always gotten from him from a style and impact standpoint. Super dope sh*t. There’s just no other way to say it. Since his arrival he has looked to usher and set the tone. It would only make sense that an icon in music and fashion such as P would give us an iconic set of shoes.
Adidas hasn’t been subtle about this either. I tend to just look at it as that player that has been going off in a game but hasn’t been loud about it or played outside of the flow of the game. They are just getting the ball in their rhythm and doing what they do, next thing you know they have 30. This connection to Hip Hop culture has become a part of Adidas foundation. It isn’t a gimmick or a move to make because it’s lucrative. It’s who they are.
