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.