Air Max Day Sucked

The Coronavirus has had us all stuck inside, as we kill time until we can get back to “normal” life.

I’ve been loyal to Air Max since I got my first pair of 90’s as a kid. I have had a borderline addiction since.

Air Max Day the last few years has been nothing short of amazing. But….. I guess all good things come to an end.

2017: Air Max 1 OG Red Anniversary, Atmos Air Max 1 Elephant, Air Max 1 Master, etc

2018: Sean Wotherspoon 97/1, Atmos Animal Pack, Air Vapormax Plus

Sean Wotherspoon with his contest winner.

2019: Cactus Flea Plant Market Vapormax, Shanghia 97, Air Max 720

2020: Atmos Reverse Duck Camo……….

Nike’s embarrassing Air Max Day releases. The Camo’s are amazing, though.

Long story short, this year was a serious let down. I think the Reverse Duck Camo 90 is an amazing shoe. Atmos did their thing as always, but that was it,.

I took an L in a few raffles to get it. the 2090 might grow on me but I’m not with it right now.

There was a few 90’s released in metallic colors that were complete trash in my opinion. I see zero innovation in the Air Max 2090. The 720 was innovative and comfortable. You can put the 2090 in the trash with the mom shoe Air Max 270.

No contests this year. I can’t believe it, The past few years we’ve seen creative new designs for Air Max’s and the winners saw their creations become reality. They were all good, and some were amazing.

The Shanghai Kaleidoscope and the Sean Wotherspoon 97/1. Sean’s sneaker helped launch him into super stardom in sneaker culture. It was the sneaker of the year on most people’s radar. The Kaleidoscope’s made huge waves with collectors and resale value is about $500-$600.

This year was a let down, and I know Corona virus had some play in that. Nike needs to keep the contests going. Fans turned creators are a breathe of fresh air to a model that has plenty of classic firepower, but needs help making new classics . They help to celebrate legacy, and embrace innovation.

It was rumored that Dave Quality Meat “Bacon” was gonna drop. This might of been the biggest let down of the year. Not that I would of hit on it, bots eat up everything and leave real fans with the choice of paying double ( sometimes way more) or not having the sneaker they wanted so bad.

Terrible drops and no On Air Contest.

I know times are tough, but this stuff is planned months to a year out.

Do better Nike.

Air Max FOREVER!

A diamond in the rough to heal those L's.

Corona Virus, college dunks and a scuff on my dunks.

I wanna take a pause from the impending apocalypse to talk sneakers.

Sneakers heal all wounds ( They help atleast).

Nike dropped Kentucky and Syracuse University dunks this morning on SNKRS and other footsites.

Skate shops got the exclusive back door to the limited quantity of Safari SB Dunks, also dropped today (Saturday).

I had my girl (now ex-girl, life comes at you fast), parents and myself enter raffles. Bodega, Concepts, etc.

I even took a video of me trying to try a shove it on a skateboard in SB’s. You got an extra entry in the raffle for the video.

Mandatory pic for the Safari Dunk raffle

Can’t say I don’t put in work.

There was a silver lining ,though. I copped a pair or near DS Air Max 2 Light USA’s for $30.

I’ll never turn down a hitting pair of Air Max’s if the price is right. -Air Max 2 Light USA

No hype. Just a clean shoe in the best sneaker line ever created.

Its Air Max Day in about a week.

All I’m saying is we can find something dope from one door closing. I still caught a W this week, just maybe not the kind y’all are used to.

2020 : SB’s go mainstream

Within about a span of ten days Kylie Jenner posted pics of her in MF Doom Dunks and then What The Dunks. On 2/22 Travis shock dropped his new dunks. Emails were refresh at ungodly rates, mine included.

Gone are SB Glory days of the mid 2000s. Welcome to the hypebeast era of SB Dunks.

SB’s are poised to hit the mainstream.

I don’t mean they will be popular amongst sneaker heads and the casual consumer. No, they will be popular with those people who jump on every popular fashion trend. Yeezy 350’s then Jordan 1’s had their moment with these sorts, and Its clear SB’s are next.

How’s that making people feel?

We saw a huge resurgence last year in SB’s popularity with the help of Travis. The math is simple, if Travis and/or Kylie cosign something than it’s immediately what’s hot.

Many older heads ( especially SB heads) hate the rise in popularity for two major reasons.

One.

It feels like something sacred is being pimped out here to people who will never appreciate the history.

Fair enough.

Second.

The astronomic rise in dunk prices is stupid.

That one might sting more. Unless you’re a reseller ofcourse.

La Flame’s IG featured videos of him with some SB Team skate team members.

Skateboarding is now an official Olympic sport starting in Tokyo summer 2020.

Alot of people who never skated are probably gonna try and perpetrate like they do. I have a sneaky suspicion that SB’s are about to explode. Again.

Travis don’t skate. Refresh refresh refresh

I have never hit the reresh button so many time in my life as I did Saturday night. Word got out that there was going to be a shock drop on Travis’s website sometime Saturday night.

Some time after 7 the raffle opened and most of us figured it would be about a half hour or so to get the results. Some of us (myself included) got an email and started the celebration.

Until I opened it , seen it was just an add for Travis Scott trucks, decks , wheels, etc.

Nice okie doke.

I spent the next 3-4 hours checking the comments on posts on Travis’s IG.

It seemed nobody got an email confirming a W. Refresh , refresh , refresh.

Nothing. I did notice all the videos Cactus Jack was putting up with guys skateboarding with him there to make it seem like he skates. Been paying attention to him for a while never seen anything skate related.

Way to pimp skate culture out for a buck my man. If you got it though why not right? We all put whatever we were doing on hold to get clowned in a ridiculously drawn out raffle. So he must be doing something right.

This drawing will be remembered in the sneakerhead circles though. No doubt done on purpose.

I love that dunks are back and Travis played a big part in that over the last year or so. I love the collabs Travis had banged out over the last few years. His influence is as big as anyone else in the sneaker game. I fuck with what Travis puts out in a heavy way.

This left a bad taste in my mouth, though.

Travis can’t skate but he can make you wait in front of a computer screen for hours waiting on a W you know isn’t coming. Well played sir.

Tanks, shock drops and basketball. NBA All Star Weekend 2020

The NBA’s All Star Weekend is a celebration of the talent on court, as well as the sneakers worn on and off. Sneakerheads mark this week down every year, as its known to have some of the best drops of the year.

Need proof? Think Galaxy Foams (2012) Jordan 11 Columbias (96), etc.

Last year had some heat including Retroing the Infrared 6’s, Kobe Draft Day, Nike Adapt BB and the Black Sheep Hornet SB.

Last year was cool but……….. Charlotte ain’t Chicago.

Anthony Davis lets a jumper go at the 2020 All Star Game in Chicago

This year felt different. Players being buddies over heated rivals is the new norm, and we literally just lost NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a tragic helicopter crash.

The game was in Chicago, which meant new school met old school as far as sneakerheads are concerned.

The city that birthed the Jordan dynasty is also home to designers Kanye West, Virgil Abloh, Jerry Lorenzo and Don C ( all had releases this weekend). You knew this was gonna be a huge weekend with a lot of heat up for grabs.

Virgil and Off-White dropped the Jordan 5 Muslin, and bots ate up every pair.

In the most Kanye move ever, Kanye deployed what looked like tanks to hit the streets of the Chi and exchange new Quantum Basketball sneakers to the lucky few who got pulled up on.

The New Beginnings Pack featured a Nike Air Ship ( the original jordan) along with a white and red AJ1.

Those first two drops saw resale on the secondary market soar past $1,000 immediately.

Red Cement 3’s saw release in two models, one with Nike Air and the other with Nike Air CHI on the heel tab.

We got an AJ1 in women’s sizes with the NC to Chicago.

LeBron dropped a Space Jam 2 inspired colorway with the LeBron 17 “Monstars”.

New Balance, Adidas, Nike and Jordan also had other drops of less importance.

The heat, the surprise drops, the game itself and honoring Kobe and the other passengers on board all combined to make last weekend one for the books. Hope everyone who was going in on the drops came out with something ( We know you didn’t get the Muslin).

Chicago man shows off his new Yeezy Quantums via Kanye Tank

The Jordan 3: The most important sneaker of all time

It’s 2019. Yeezy (The big name that didn’t sign to a new contract) and Adidas are still killing the game, but Nike/Jordan have been coming on strong as of late. Retro ones have been the go to sneaker for every guy or girl who wanna look like sneaker heads. Jordan brand alone brings heat, but when you add collabs with Virgil Abloh(Off-White) and Travis Scott you create a juggernaut that can go toe to toe with Kanye for the heart of hypebeasts everywhere .But if you rewind time to the mid eighties,Nike was in crisis mode. Reebok was the king of ball sneakers and it seemed Michael didn’t want to re-sign.

1987. Michael Jordan’s contract with Nike was up and made it obvious he was leaning towards signing with Adidas. Previously in 1984 , Michael had signed an unprecedented $500,000 contract with Nike.Michael originally wanted to sign with Adidas and he was now shopping himself around for a new sneaker contract.

I cannot stress how much pressure Nike had on themselves to re-sign Jordan. He was the biggest athlete on the planet and it was clear he was headed for greatness. Nike CEO Phil Knight had to pull a rabbit out of a hat. He didn’t know it at the time but he had the greatest sneaker designer ever working at Nike. That mans name was Tinker Hatfield.

In steps a green but extremely talented Tinker Hatfield. Today Tinker is regarded as the greatest sneaker designer ever. He created the Air Max line along with Jordan and countless other classics. But at this time he was relatively unknown. Knight assigned the duty of creating the Jordan 3 to Hatfield. He had the fate of the company on his back and he was well aware of the gravity of the situation. Losing Michael Jordan would have been catastrophic and Nike would not be the undisputed king of sneaker design.

Michael Jordan had some demands on what he wanted to go into the 3. Mike wanted a lighter shoe and a mid cut, which was not prevalent at the time. The shoe had to feel like it was broken in, so Hatfield used the softer tumbled leather. Mike was very big on style at the time and Tinker came up with the legendary elephant print on the heel and toe box. He even drew up sketches of the apparel line they would have with the elephant print.

The exclamation point on the sneaker was the jumpman logo Tinker had created. Jordan showed up to the meeting four hours late and clearly in a bad mood. Mike saw the sample Tinker had made and absolutely loved it. I mean how could you not love it. He signed with Nike, and Mike and Tinker went on the create some of the most legendary sneakers ever through the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. They then used a genius marketing campaign with Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon claiming ,”It’s gotta be the shoes”.

This one sneaker literally changes the course of history. Who knows what kind of sneakers Jordan would of made at Adidas, but i bet my bottom dollar it wouldn’t have been anything as good as what Tinker went on to create.

These are the sneakers that Mike was wearing as he took off from the foul line in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The most iconic picture of Micheal Jordan is him flying through the air with the ball cocked back from the foul line in those White Cement 3’s. That night we found out that Michael Jordan really could fly.

The White Cement 3’s are my favorite Jordan( I got the 2011’s without the Nike Air on the back but I’m not tripping over that). I felt it only right to wear my pair of White Cements as I wrote this article. Its perfectly balanced as a casual/athletic look. You can ball in them or just rock them with a pair of jeans. Either way your turning heads in maybe, the best sneaker ever made.

Sneakerheads think differently. Most people would just see a nice Jordan sneaker, but the rest of us know. We know that sneaker is a piece of history and we appreciate what was behind it. A fresh new begining of thinking outside the box and taking chances. Thank god Michael Jordan and Tinker Hatfield collaborated. I’m rocking a pair of history, what you got on your feet?

Athletes aren’t driving sneaker sales anymore.

That statement isn’t exactly true…. unless your talking about sneaker culture. When I was a kid the shoe game was all about Jordan, Iverson, T-Mac and Kobe. The 90’s was the golden era of sneakers and this when when NBA players really started getting signature sneakers at a consistent rate.

Jordan set the standard back in the late 80’s and thank god he trusted Tinker Hatfield and ended up staying with Nike after the 2. The Jordan 3 is by far my favorite Jordan and I think there isn’t enough people out there who know the importance of that shoe to the culture. It might be the most important sneaker ever.

Anyways, Pippen, Grant Hill, Barkley, Penny, and Shaq all had classic signature sneakers in the early 90’s. The Reebok pumps were not Dee Brown’s signature sneaker but myself and an entire generation refer to them as the Dee Brown’s. The player attached to those sneakers is what made it a hit or not. Back then you even had football players like Bo and Deion who had major success with signature sneakers.

We now live in the era where the athlete doesn’t move the needle on what is cool in the culture. Kobe, Lebron, KD and Kyrie have success in the sneaker game but that is on court only. Nobody is wearing those sneakers casually. Kanye, Travis, Jerry Lorenzo and Virgil are the guys that move that needle now.

Nike took a gamble back in 2009 and gave Kanye West the first non-athlete full collaboration with the Air Yeezy. This was a historical moment in the sneaker culture. I remember the roc-a-fella sneakers and the G-Unit Reebok’s back in the day, but this was different. The Air Yeezy’s sold out and were followed up with the Air Yeezy 2, which are now grails in the culture. Adidas snuck in and signed him,a the rest is history. This let companies like Nike and Adidas know that you didn’t have to be an athlete to have a profound impact.

It is very apparent that Travis Scott is the king of collabs right now. His collabs are almost impossible to get for retail and immediatley shoot up in resale price to the point where you need to pay $500 and up to be able to wear a pair of his sneakers. While I really like the Cactus Jack sneakers, flipping the swoosh (simple yet genuis move) Travis hasn’t really done much new. I love the earth tone colorways but he isn’t really creating anything. Not taking anything away I’d like to see more innovative stuff from him because I believe he’s more than able.

Virgil and Off-White on the other hand really took new design to another level. I absolutley love the collabs that Virgil has done with Nike and Jordan. I think the Air Max and AF 1 that he did were some of the best sneakers I’ve ever seen. He really pushed the envelope with the Beaverton lettering, stitched swoosh and red tags. Jerry Lorenzo comes from the same city and camp and I like what he has done with his Fear of God collabs.

Kanye is in his own category. He literally created new sillouettes that were different than what we’ve seen prior. He didnt change an Air Jordan 1 or Air Max 1, both of which are already proven to be very popular. NO, he created several different sneakers entirely and is the reason that the “dad shoe” fad became a thing. He has been wildly successful, but more importantly he has given an entire generation the inspiration to become creatives. He is proof that you can be a serious force in this industry without a ball in your hand. I think Don C, Jerry and Virgil are actually more important than Kanye. Give me a second to explain, these three men are the product of that Kanye inspiration. Kanye was a world famous talent when he started making sneakers. Nobody knew these three men and they proved that you can be successful as a creator if you have the talent and work ethic. Virgil is now the artistic director of Luis Vuitton. Let that marinate.

Athletes are what got most of us in the sneaker game, but it is obvious that artists and creatives are the one’s that will take us into the future.

Individual style: A thing of the past?

When I was probably sixteen years old is when I started taking my sneaker game serious. Before that I kept a good rotation like Reebok Answers, Air Max 90’s and Reebok classics. I was a kid obsessed with Basketball and looking fresh, and Slam Magazine, Slam kicks, The Source and Complex where my study book for everything basketball, hip hop and street wear. I remember ordering Ecko shirts and hats out of magazine’s when they were a brand more associated with rave culture than hip hop.I found out about Ecko from my older brother Ricky. I got my style and my musical taste from stealing his cd’s and his clothes. I paid for having sticky fingers more than once. It was worth catching a smack to rock that Triple 5 sweater back in junior high school, I felt like the man(I was born in 1987 for reference).

My boy Colin was a skater and told me about a shop near Berklee that was disguised as a run down bodega. Man all I remember about going in there was when I came out I realised my sneaker game wasn’t shit. Listen, I still got a soft spot for all white coked out Reebok Classics, cortez’s and AF1’s but while I kept them fresh, they were basic.

This isn’t the part when I tell you how I jumped balls deep into dunk’s and SB’s. My boy used to be heavy into them during the Pink Box Era but I never got too heavy with them back then. I had pairs but I just wasn’t as serious with them back then. I wasn’t a Jordan guy either as a kid. My father wasn’t dropping Jordan money on me and I was a ball player who was into guys like Iverson, T-Mac, and Vince Carter. I wanted to be those guys, and those were the shoes I rocked on court. I rocked Air Max’s hard. So am I not a real head? Some would definitely say no.Either way I’m cool with it, I rocked what I really liked and looked good doing it.

Regional style and culture is definitely still relevant. Trends change, but for the most part most iconic looks remain. We all think of southern California when we think Vans, and Timbs and Uptowns are always gonna be hitting in NYC. I have a soft spot for Polo hats, Northface jackets and Air Maxes because I grew up in the Boston area.

Today though, it seems like everyone is on the same vibe worldwide (Kinda boring and disappointing if you ask me) The rise of the Hype Beast movement through Instagram has really taken the streetwear and sneaker cultures to the mainstream. Models and actresses alike are now rocking Off-White and Balenciaga’s.Sneakers are sexy now. You got professional “flexers” making livings off of instagram pictures of them wearing a box logo hoodie and a pair of Yeezy’s. The price tag of what you wear matters more than ever.

I think it’s cool that there is so much exposure nowadays and it’s easy to get whatever you want (as long as you’re willing to pay).But, I miss the days of the hunt and seeing something in real time and making an unbiased descision of whether you like the style of it or not. I think consumerism and “flexing” have taken over actual style.

I don’t wanna sound like I’m hating on the younger generation. I just wanted to offer some food for thought and try to inspire some individuality. On the other hand I think it’s absolutely dope that I have had some serious sneaker conversations with dudes I would have never thought knew anything. I see more than a pair of sneakers when I look at my pairs, and I’m all for growing that community.

Jordan 5 OG Metallic 2016 Review

Here we are again, with another classic sneaker review. Originally released in 1990, the Jordan 5 would be Mike’s first sneaker of the storied 90’s sneaker scene. His third shoe with Tinker Hatfield, the shoe itself was inspired by the fighter jets of WWII. The shark tooth design on the midsole gave these an aggressive look that attracted alot of attention. This was the first Jordan shoe that used 3M, the tongue and midsole shine when the lights hit it just right. This was a flashy ass shoe that bullied its way into the new decade. The lace locks were also a new addition and honestly I could leave or take them.

I’ve owned a few pairs of 5’s. I’ve had Laney’s, Laney Alternates, Fire Red’s Pre-Grapes, Green Beans, and Olympics. I’ve slipped my feet into quite a few pairs of 5’s and the quality on the Metallic’s blows the other 5’s right out of the water. The nubuck is soft yet much sturdier than other 5’s. The Upper ankle padding is super thick and other than a sock shoe, it doesn’t get much more comfortable than these. In hand yu can really tell that Jordan Brand really wanted to make a high quality when they retroed this shoe again.

I love the Nike Air branding on the back, this can make or break a sneaker and is true to the OG pedigree. I honestly like the fact that the number 23 was left of this retro. I think the simplicity of not having it really allows you to notice the high quality of the sneaker and its sleek black finish. The only knock I really have on this sneaker is that the toe box creases fairly easy. Fives don’t look great with creasing, so I would recommend getting Sole Shields to protect your sneakers from creasing.

The price point on these brand new is over $300. It’s a little steep to me, but I am not a big Jordan fan. There are plenty of people who would pay this price to have a pair of o point OG’s like this pair. I got mine close to deadstock for $180 without box. You can find both deadstock and used pairs on the GOAT app.

THE RATING

Ok so as far as looks go I would give these a 9/10. I think the black nubuck and 3M tongue make this a flashy shoe without being too loud. It’s just a sleek looking sneaker, the Nike Air branding on the back add a certain respect factor among sneakerheads too. There is something special about wearing an OG retro that was done right as far as quality and respect to the original.

I described the comfort earlier in the blog and I would give this sneaker 8/10. The ankle area is insanely comfortable with all that extra padding, but its still a basketball sneaker design from 1990. As far as a basketball sneaker goes they are very comfortable.

I would say that the deadstock price on the aftermarket sites are right around where they should be at $300 plus. It’s an OG Jordan made with high quality materials. You can find a lightly used pair like I did for about a hundred less than that $300 price point.

As far as retro’s go this 2016 Metallic was done right as far as the lineage goes and the quality is amazing. Highly recommend picking up a pair if you get the chance.

Air Max 97 Silver Bullet Review

Air Max 97 in original “Silver Bullet” colorway

Disclaimer: Grails should be reviewed more often!

The word grail gets thrown out alot in the sneaker community.

The Silver Bullets are one of my grails, and I’m excited to let everyone know I just picked up a gently used pair for $160 through the GOAT app (Highly recommend them). https://www.goat.com

$160 was a very good price for these kicks in this condition. They are going for about $320 brand new.

. These were retroed again back in 2017 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the sneaker. Inspired by Japanese Bullet Trains and designed by Christian Tresser, its sleek design turned it into a cult classic of sorts.This original colorway is one of if not the most recognizable Air Max ever

The colorway features metallic silver, varsity red and white. It is made of mostly mesh and includes three stripes of 3m tape that is reflective in certain light or with a camera flash. This was also one of the early models to feature a full length air unit, and was also duplicated next year on the Air Max 98.

Now the retail price for these was $160, which is absolutely worth it. The problem is these sold out immediately when they released and if you want a deadstock pair now you are going to pay $300-$550.

Classic not Hype

These sneakers would not be considered a “hype” item, but they are an OG colorway in a cult classic type of sneaker. Any real sneakerhead is well awar of Silver Bullets and has probably owned a pair at some point. That is the reason for the high price tag.

As are as looks go I would rate them 9/10 in the running sneaker category. The don’t look like a casual sneaker, but go well with blue jeans and joggers are they do with sweats. Comfort is at a 7.5/10, which is not bad considering you are wearing sneakers with 20 year old technology. As far as value goes it is a little harder to grade. For some of us (myself included) these are a grail, and the high price tag is completely justified. For your average consumer or athlete though, the value is not very good for such a high priced sneaker.

This is a sneaker for heads.

So in short, the Air Max 97 Silver Bullet is not a sneaker I would recommend to the average consumer based on its expensive price tag. For us sneakerheads though, I feel it is a necessary piece to any real collection and it is easily one of if not my favorite sneaker I have ever owned.

If you are looking for a new or used pair I would recommend GOAT, StockX, Mercari, Poshmark or Ebay. You cannot walk into a chain sneaker retailer like Foot Locker, Finish Line or Champs and purchase these. It is important to keep in mind that with a higher price tag comes the possibility of it being fake. The only two sites that guarantee and check authenticity are GOAT (link above) and StockX.

I hope this review was helpful and if you have the funds to get them, this is a sneaker I would recommend to any sneakerhead out there trying to build a good sneaker rotation. I appreciate all the support and can’t wait to get more content out!