How Drake Put His Stamp on The Sneaker Game

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What a time to be alive.

It seemed like only yesterday when Aubrey "Drake" Graham came onto the scene with that signature letterman jacket in his Best I Ever Had music video. That video, combined with his verse on Lil Wayne's Every Girl track, have become the warning shots to the industry of what was soon to come from the Canadian superstar.

Fast forward to the here and now in 2016 and the world of Hip Hop has become a playground for the almighty 6 God. From his mixtape collab with Future, to his Hotline Bling music video that has generated over 675 million views on Youtube. And just for time constraints we won't even mention Drizzy's upcoming album Views From the 6, his fourth studio album that already has generated enough buzz online to plug thirteen artists.

Yet if anyone has followed Drake's timeline in his rise to stardom, they would know he loves being around other influential and productive people in the world.

From rising up and firing shots at Kentucky's annual Big Blue Madness, being courtside during Raptors' playoff games in the camo jacket, and being spotted at In-N-Out with NBA MVP Steph Curry and company, everywhere Drake goes he influences those around him.When it comes to the world of sneakers this is especially true in regards to Drizzy. In order to fully understand the impact Drake has made in a short amount of time we need to rewind the clock and look at the timeline for Drake's rise to sneaker supremacy.

2013: The Signing, The PEs, and the Start

When Drake signed to Jordan Brand in December of 2013 it changed the landscape of how shoe companies and artists dealt with each other in the past. Drake, who had a concert in Portland the night before Jordan Brand officially announced the deal, called it  "one of the best days of my life".The signing came off a bitter divorce from Kanye West and Nike, which had problems with how West felt disrespected at times by the company and in how Nike felt they had been disrespected in numerous rants on West' Yeezus tour.

What occurred in both Jordan Brand and Drake's situation can be summed up in two words:

A link

Growing up Drake, like many kids, watched Jordan do amazing things on the basketball court. Just like those same kids Drake dreamed of wearing the same sneakers he'd see in the shoe shops. The first of those sneakers was the Jordan 15, a gift from his Father (story confirmed in the Jordan commercial seen below this).

On the other side of the fence the Jumpman saw in signing Drake an ability to link the past to the certain future. Drake symbolizes those numerous kids who grew up loving the shoes Jordan Brand made and the desire to wear them. Yet what Drake also represents is an artist who can be seen almost everywhere and is recognizable to almost everyone in the world. Why not let him represent the brand? Why not let those who see him in concert, television, and other pathways of connectivity in a Jordan sneaker, pullover, headband etc.?  This way of thinking has led to other artists and celebrities with no connection to athletics getting their own shoe deals such as Big Sean, 2 Chainz, and Tyga. 

Drake wasted no time in showing the world what he and Jordan Brand were up to when he took to his Instagram in the very same week he made the announcement of signing with Jumpman. There the 6 God gave the world the first sneak peek at what would soon become the Air Jordan "OVO" 10s and 12s in both their black and white colorway. Having sneakerheads everywhere in anticipation for when these particulal pairs of Js would drop. 

2014-5 - OVO Fest, OVO Night, Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman  

Drake started off the New Year of 2014 with a bang. On January 11th the Raptors held the first ever "Drake Night". There the entire OVO camp sported the 10s and 12s courtside. Amir Johnson rocked the 10s on court, with Drake handing out a few special pairs to lucky fans who were in attendance. Not to mention, the woman who received a pair during Drake's halftime set in the video below made $100,000 on her eBay bid of the shoes. Talk about a come up.

Later that year in August at the 5th annual OVO Fest Drake rocked a pair of Gold 'OVO' Air Jordan PE 3s. The concert alone was crazier than ever just based off the list of acts such as YG, J. Cole, DJ Khaled, Lauryn HIll, Usher, and G-Unit. But when people saw those 3s the internet went abuzz. To this day no one has seen that pair on the market and the only other person who has been seen in a pair has been Usher.

Yes life was certainly beginning to look good for Drake and Jordan Brand. Drizzy had people clamoring for pairs that weren't even scheduled for release yet, and he was beginning to expand the limits of the brand like wildfire.

And then in 2015 he and Future dropped their now cult classic mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. 

"Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, they gave me my own collection wooh!" 

The track Jumpman on the mixtape became a solid hit. It went platinum in the US and became an instant track that has become thrown into every DJ's set across clubs worldwide. With references to famed NBA shot blocker Dikembe Mutombo and one-third of the Spurs famed big three Manu Ginobli the song became beloved in basketball circles eveywhere. If 2014 and 2015 were good years, then 2016 was about to have everything come full circle for Drake and Jordan.

2016 - All Star Game Supremacy, the Key to The 6, and The Ultimate Pop Up Shop 

Three years from that December night in Portland where he had announced his deal with the Jumpman, Drake took the crown during his stint as host of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. The fact that Toronto was hosting All-Star Weekend  in part you could make a huge argument for was behind Drake's impact as an ambassador to the Raptors.  He received the key to the City of Toronto before the Celebrity Game (where he served as Coach opposite of Kevin Hart).

For a lot of guys that could've been the apex. Not for Drake, he was just warming up. It was during the Skills Competition where Drake, decked out in a pink and white OVO varsity jacket, sported a pair of white and blue Jordan 8s. If the OVOs were something new back when he first snapped them on his Instagram, then the blue and white 8s were like witnessing something new and never before seen.

It was one thing to break out a new pair of shoes no one had ever seen before, but to break out two pairs never before seen was something exotic. Drake had literally won the weekend without even trying and had stamped his legacy in sneaker history. Combined with his own kicks, the 23 and 6 pop up shop in Yonge for All-Star Weekend featured a store full of the latest drops for the Jumpman from Chinese Low 5s to PSNY 12s.

So what does the future hold for Drizzy Drake? Whatever it does might just be the icing on an already loaded cake.

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The One Year Anniversary of Wale's "The White Shoes" Video

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Since he arrived onto the scene with his debut Album, "Attention Deficit" in 2009, Wale has left a trail of lyrical treasures in his career by being able to take certain topics and drop more than his fair share of opinions in tracks with clever wordplay and flow. They have left even the most thoughtful and spiritual people pondering what he just said to the point that he makes you want to rewind and listen to the whole thing again and again. The Washington DC native has made a trademark on expressing his unique views on numerous hot button discussions that can range from the modern day College Athlete (listen to Varsity Blues) to referencing over 15 iconic sports moments (listen to Barry Sanders).

These tracks have helped pave the way for a sound that resembles modern day life and water cooler talks everywhere.

"Vic Paige never made it, Len Bias never made it. See God give us the talent, but the devil make us famous" - Wale

One of Wale's passions other than his love for all Washington sports teams has always been sneakers. His love for the game has always been high when he discusses shoes in interviews. His sneaker collection resembles a renaissance of all different brands. One day he's paying homage to the foams that his hometown of DC has become famous for loving and the next he can be seen in a Kung Fu stance in the Nike SB Tiffany Dunk Highs.

So what happened last year when Wale teamed with Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld to produce his 2015 album, "The Album about Nothing" ?

Pure Gold.

The Album that was given 4 out of 5 stars from XXL Magazine featured Seinfeld discussing certain topics and memories from his career that followed with Wale's verses on the same subject . The mixture of two people from seemingly opposite worlds combined to showcase both their opinions on topics even if their ideas and viewpoints were not on the same wavelength. 

One of the most memorable tracks in the Album is The White Shoes, a four minute song that depicts the dark and twisted elephant in the room when it comes to the sneaker world. A world filled with peer pressure, crime, and sorrow over a pair of shoes. The video, while amassing over a million views on YouTube, is also one of my all time favorites. For that I've always made it one of my favorite videos to talk about and as it inches closer to its 1 year anniversary (one week from today) it's only right we discuss what makes it amazing.



Jerry Seinfeld was known for his white shoes in his legendary sitcom Seinfeld 

The video begins with Seinfeld talking about one day walking down the street and a woman complimenting him for staying with his white sneakers. The shoes Seinfeld says just make him feel good. Even during the rise of his status as a celebrity Seinfeld was seen in nearly every episode on his hit show in white sneakers.


The chorus of the song reiterates Seinfeld's views over and over again as Wale sings, "We gon' be good long as them sneakers white". The lyrics depict a feeling of joy even in the toughest of times. That just a fresh pair of white sneakers in itself could make someone feel good about themselves.

The video shows a young kid sweeping up hair in a Barbershop to earn money. He is then shown later that day wiping off tables, taking out the trash, and mopping the floor of a taqueria. This shows a kid working hard to make enough money just to buy something. But what?

Fast forward in the video and that same kid is seen passing a group of guys who mock him for his dirty and beat up white sneakers. His confidence clearly shattered with the look on his face he stops by a sneaker store and stares from outside the glass window to the display shoe for a pair of White Air Jordan 11 Columbias. This shoe now becomes his main goal and he is saving up to get it.

(The clowning the kid in Whale's video goes through isn't necessary nor needed and could avoid a lot of inferiority in the sneaker game)

Throughout song Wale's lyrical power cascades over the entire track and gives depth to the problems surrounding the sneaker world. Lyrics such as 

"the sneaker stores and laundromats get all the money Cause it ain't 'bout what you're doin', 'bout how you're lookin'" show the need to fit in and look fly often poisons our mind into buying things just so we can fit in with other people instead of investing that time and money into our future. 

"Back then the h**s checkin' for your zapatos

So even dirty n****s had the foams ya know!" this line shows how much males in particular invest into our look and see the necessity to buy certain shoes to impress women. The last line reflecting that instead of investing that money we spent on those foams into our total appearance we waste it all with what's on your feet. While a certain pair of shoes can impress others, i'd be the first to tell you from personal experience that not once have I ever picked up a woman because of my sneakers. 
 

Eventually that same kid gets enough money to purchase those Columbia 11s, with Wale handing him the bag and giving him dap. He walks down in the street in the video with a new hat, the new white shoes, and a smile full of confidence. As he sees a group of girls who stare and point at his shoes the video takes on an emotional happy ending. Or so we think.




(The hard work paid off for the boy in the end, sadly not everything has a fairytale ending)

Because as he turns the corner, that same kid is robbed by the same group of guys who were hating on him earlier. He gets pinned to the ground and has his shoes taken from him. The next scene shows Wale picking up a newspaper to see the young boy's face with a headline that shows he was robbed and killed for the shoes that he sold him.



Wale is obviously crushed, shaking his head in frustration. 

The video's message is clear that some people will never truly allow for someone to have a come up or be happy. The long and hard work the kid in the video shows is nullified by a group of people who possess no job and have to resort to robbing him.

(This happens everywhere, only thing is sometimes doesn't get reported)

The truth, while cruel, shows the harsh realities of the streets. That not everything ends in a fairy tale. A year later and the video still speaks to the problems the sneaker game has been facing for the past thirty odd years. People will do anything for shoes. If that means taking another person's life or feel the need to resort to violence so be it.

 

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