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Rihanna Occasions Artists With Their Personal Sneakers Sneaker Collaboration
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Sneaker tradition owes a lot of its existence to Hip Hop. Run-DMC helped make Adidas as iconic as it’s at present, and Nelly gave Nike’s Air Pressure 1s its personal anthem. Fairly frankly, it’s powerful to image what individuals can be sporting at present if rappers hadn’t made such a mark on the shoe sport.
Their affect additionally reveals up in music, like Drake’s “checks over stripes” bar on “SICKO MODE” or Kanye West declaring, “Yeezy simply jumped over Jumpman” on “Info (Charlie Warmth Model).” Singers, together with Teyana Taylor, Rihanna and Beyoncé, additionally get in on the enjoyable.
“My relationship [with Nike] began after I was a child, even when they didn’t understand it on the time,” Travis Scott, arguably one of many style’s greatest sneakerheads, informed Complicated.
With West’s Yeezy Adidas partnership within the rearview and artists like Scott and Rihanna consistently solidifying their place within the sneakerhead group, Rap-Up seemed again at a number of the most iconic footwear collabs in Hip Hop and R&B. Verify them out beneath!
1. Kanye West
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Ye’s Nike collaboration nearly redefined sneaker tradition. Launched in 2009, Air Yeezy launched particulars like a midfoot strap and a glow-in-the-dark sole, and its second-generation design arrived just a few years later. Sadly, the Air Yeezy II solely got here in three colorways: “Purple October” — which works for upwards of $10,000 on reseller platforms like GOAT and StockX — “Pure Platinum” and “Photo voltaic Purple.”
After parting methods with the footwear firm over royalty disputes, West introduced his Yeezy line to Adidas. Along with garments, the German label helped rollout a number of the biggest sneakers of at present’s technology: Increase 750s, Increase 350s, Yeezy Slides and Foam Runners, to call a couple of.
2. Tyler The Creator
Tyler, The Creator’s partnership with Converse kicked off with their 2017 replace on the One Star through GOLF le FLEUR*. From there, they debuted a number of colorways — some monotone, others with color-blocking parts and completely different supplies like fuzz — all through the subsequent few years. The footwear model additionally helped him launch two new silhouettes: the Gianno and the Darryl Chuck 70, the latter being a rework of the model‘s basic Chuck Taylors with an Airedale terrier motif on the heel.
3. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj’s debut into the sneaker world culminated in a partnership with LØCI, of which she’s additionally a co-owner. Launched in April, the Trinidadian rapper’s assortment launched 11 pairs throughout 5 silhouettes: the FUSION, APEX, ATOM HI, NEO and ATOM. It featured an array of colorways, predominantly using a wealthy palette of pink shades to echo the discharge of Pink Friday 2 in addition to the musician’s Barbie persona.
4. Travis Scott
Including to the listing of celeb hype is Scott’s collaborations with Nike and the Jordan Model. After releasing a DIY-like Air Pressure 1 with the first-mentioned label, he joined forces with the latter to debut the Air Jordan 4 Retro Cactus Jack in 2018. The shoe featured a dusty blue suede higher with pink accents, which grew to become an indicator in subsequent launches. Since then, the ASTROWORLD creator has partnered with the footwear giants on a variety of silhouettes: SB Dunk Lows, Jordan 1s, Air Max 1s and the Air Max 270 React ENG.
5. Drake
Drake and Air Jordan have teamed up on a variety of events, together with the White OVO 12s, Drake/Raptors 4s, and Black OVO 10s, to say a couple of. The Toronto star turned the warmth up a notch with NOCTA, his sub-label in partnership with Nike. The Scorching Step Air Terra launched with a smooth, aerodynamic design and numerous monochromatic colorways.
6. Pharrell
Having already seen success with Billionaire Boys Membership, Pharrell Williams’ partnership with Adidas arguably produced one of the distinguished and enduring collaborations in sneaker tradition. Though they could have kicked off with the Polka Dot Pack, which included renditions of the Adidas Stan Smith, the next launch of the NMD Human Race (Hu) is what really captured world consideration. The pair put out over 200 fashions, a number of of which have been tied to his personal N.E.R.D. band and Billionaire Boys Membership.
7. Cardi B
Although she’s largely moved on to excessive style these days, Cardi B’s early profession was closely targeted on making an announcement in a sportier approach. Two years after changing into an envoy for Reebok, in 2020, the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker launched the Membership C Cardi, a chunkier tackle the footwear label’s silhouette with an elongated tongue. The debut colorways — white, pink and black — featured a semi-translucent rubber midsole and “Cardi B” written on the within of the shoe.
“Taking cues from her latest iconic style moments, Cardi was impressed by daring, clear design, taking the simplicity of the notorious Membership C silhouette to the subsequent stage,” the model wrote on the time.
8. J. Cole
In 2020, J. Cole debuted the RS-Dreamer by way of his partnership with PUMA. The sneakers have been designed particularly for efficiency and basketball, that includes a smooth construct that supported each on-court play and informal put on. It included a mesh higher atop RS foam, with choices starting from multicolored to monochromatic colorways.
Following its success, and an thrilling Tremendous Mario 64 collab, the North Carolina-based artist and PUMA launched the Dreamer 2 in 2021. The transfer kind of aligned with J. Cole’s temporary stint with the Rwanda Patriots Basketball Membership for the Basketball Africa League. It’s additionally price mentioning he parted methods with the footwear label to determine his personal line. Throughout his “Would possibly Delete Later, Vol. 2” video, the artist debuted a prototype of the Dreamer Indie 5000s.
9. Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor and Jordan Model launched the “A Rose From Harlem” version of the Air Jordan 1 Zoom CMFT 2 in June 2023. The sneaker featured a health club pink, black, white and earth brown colour scheme, with a rose-themed Swoosh and particular lettering on the tongues. Each the design and title have been a nod to the singer’s 2018 hit “Rose In Harlem.”
Though it was her first effort with this specific famed model, Taylor isn’t any stranger to footwear collaborations. In 2017, she and Reebok remixed the Freestyle Hello for its twenty fifth anniversary by introducing two colorways: teal and sweet pink.
10. Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar’s foray into footwear started with Reebok in 2015. Most notably, the pair up to date the Ventilator sneaker with cut up colorways of blue and pink to represent unity between the Bloods and Crips. It additionally integrated refined particulars just like the phrases “Blue” and “Purple” stitched over every heel, reinforcing the shoe’s underlying message of reconciliation.
“I noticed what [Reebok] was doing, and I wished to be part of it and make it even stronger. It’s so simple as that. Children that hearken to my music are in search of inspiration. It’s necessary that I proceed that message in something I characterize,” the lyricist mentioned of the partnership.
Increasing his footprint in sneaker tradition, Lamar subsequently partnered with Nike to transform the enduring Cortez silhouette. The Kenny IV was launched in October 2018 with consolation and ease in thoughts. It boasted a laceless construction, plush padding, and a fundamental colour palette that emphasised wearability and ease.
11. Doja Cat
In September 2023, Doja Cat and Skechers united for a novel tackle the model’s D’Lites silhouette. Because the inaugural artist-in-residence, she revamped the sneakers utilizing premium leathers, refined patent leather-based accents and mesh parts. Along with the monochromatic colour schemes, which ranged from basic black to lavender, every pair included a Skechers x Doja Cat brand on the insole.
“It feels actually cool to have the ability to create my very own shoe,” the California rapper shared through a press launch. “To design one thing impressed by the enduring sneaker my friends wore again within the day — Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — I really feel like I’m part of historical past.”
12. Rihanna
Rihanna’s collaborations with PUMA are nothing in need of iconic. In 2015, the collaboration launched the Creeper, which reimagined the basic PUMA Suede with a punk rock twist and elevated platform sole. The up to date silhouette gained Shoe of the Yr on the 30th Footwear Information Achievement Awards, and at one level, it was nearly not possible to not see feminine sneakerheads sporting it.
Though the multi-hyphenate stepped away for a couple of years to deal with motherhood and her Fenty empire, she returned to the shoe sport in 2023 with the Creeper Phatty. In response to her, it’s much like the OG however “larger and badder.” That very same 12 months welcomed the Avanti, which boasted a sleeker design and fold-over tongue branded with the FENTY x PUMA brand.