{"id":918464,"date":"2019-11-15T14:25:32","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T19:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=918464"},"modified":"2019-11-15T21:15:42","modified_gmt":"2019-11-16T02:15:42","slug":"the-hip-hop-history-of-the-nike-air-force-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/the-hip-hop-history-of-the-nike-air-force-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hip-Hop History of the Nike Air Force 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Since I came in the door became one of y’all leaders<\/p>\n

In a fresh pair Air Force One sneakers – Rakim<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On the surface, the iconic Nike Air Force 1<\/strong> needs no introduction. Simply put, it’s one of the most important silhouettes in footwear history. From its crisp look to the endless colorways – there’s an AF1 for everybody. Across the globe variants of the shoe can be found on the feet of AF1 fans both old and new. With numerous special editions, limited releases and collaborations the AF1 truly is something special.<\/p>\n

Bruce Kilgore’s timeless design debuted (1982) during the infancy of hip-hop, so interestingly enough, the two have grown-up together. Like hip-hop, the Air Force 1’s popularity started on the east coast.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia’s Moses Malone famously wore the AF1 during his 1983 championship run with the 76ers and from that point forward the streets were on notice. If you remember, Nike retro’ed Malone’s championship season Air Force 1s last year.<\/p>\n

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photo by Dick Raphael\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Was Malone the only reason for the AF1’s rise? Of course not, but his gritty, unrelenting, on-court dominance was relatable to the hip-hop world. Malone made them noticeable, but hip-hop made them cool.<\/p>\n

When it all falls down, Moses helped the showcase the AF1 but rappers gravitated towards the shoe because of their versatility on the streets. Essentially, there’s an AF1 to match any MC’s fit. One of the earliest, if not the first, recorded sightings of the Air Force 1 in hip-hop came via Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock and their smash hit “It Takes Two.”<\/p>\n

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As they say, and the rest is history<\/em>. Since “It Takes Two” the Nike Air Force 1 and hip-hop have gone together like peas and carrots. Countless rappers have rocked the Air Force 1 from Dr. Dre to Nas, Chance The Rapper to Lil Yachty and many, many more.<\/p>\n

Jay-Z includes the AF1 in his verses, Nelly immortalized his love for the shoe with his notorious track of the same title and Fat Joe even licked a pair on MTV (S\/O to Fat Joe for being the don of sneaker sole licking).<\/p>\n

Need we say more?<\/p>\n