Music has the power to influence society culturally, morally, and emotionally. Artists have provided more than just music to us. They show us an ideal life and market the ideal lifestyle to fans, who in turn are entranced and try, in every way possible, to make themselves feel like they’re part of something bigger.
‘Sneaker culture’ is one such way in which artists have influenced our lifestyles. The designs on these shoes are often based on the particular musician’s music styles, albums, or songs. Originally a marketing strategy for brands, for musicians, it is another way to express themselves, akin to an art form. Collaborations between the music industry and sneakers began as early as 1986 when Run DMC came up with a song titled “My Adidas,” featuring the Adidas Superstars, which encapsulated the paradigm shift in rap and fashion culture. Run DMC later went on to sign a deal with Reebok but had already created a lot of influence in the sneaker industry with Adidas. Following this, in 2002, Nelly dropped a single to the masses proclaiming his love for one of Nike’s most iconic models, the Air Force 1, featuring Kyjuan, Ali & Murphy Lee — “Air Force Ones.”
Today, two of the most iconic musicians turned sneakerheads are Travis Scott and Kanye West. From his timeless Air Yeezy Classics collab with Nike to his billion-dollar Yeezy empire with Adidas, West has pioneered sneaker culture along with Travis Scott, who has collaborated with the Jordan Brand and Nike for a few years now, but 2019 was when he truly hit his stride with AJ1, AJ1 lows, and the AF1s.
Pharrell Williams has been in the sneaker scene for a long time now, owing to his collaborations with Adidas. Female artists like Rihanna have also contributed to the sneaker industry, making a mark with the Fenty X Puma collaboration collection.
Musicians have also highlighted the dark side of the sneaker culture through their music. In his song, “Wings,” Macklemore raps about the influence held by multinational corporations like Nike and the evils of advertising featuring the AJ4, AJ5, and the Nike Air Max 90. The sneaker market also gets competitive, leading to musicians subtly shadding competing brands and, subsequently, their fellow musicians who represent said brands. For example, Kanye can be seen dissing the Jordan brand in his song “Facts.” The hook of the track goes, “Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman.” The song lifts its beat from the Drake and Future track “Jumpman,” an ode to the Jordan sneakers.
Songs like “My Chucks” by Mack 10 represent the Converse Chuck Taylors, and “Vans” by The Pack feature the Vans expressing how these sneakers are superior to the others and how one looks “drippier’ while wearing them.
The Sneaker Industry has seen collaborations with musicians all the time, and these keep on increasing because of the influence music has on people’s lives. Records show that musicians sell 80% more sneakers than athletes. How did musicians manage to break through into a domain which athletes like Michael Jordan had always dominated?
The motive of sneaker brands behind collaborating with contemporary musicians was their appeal to the general public. While athletes usually spoke about shoe performance, and technical details, musicians had a more crazy and artistic approach towards the sneaker. They reached bigger audiences than athletes. Not everyone plays sports, but everyone listens to music, or even more broadly, everyone wants to be fashion-forward.
Sneaker culture also goes hand in hand with street fashion which is in turn also influenced by music. This blend of sneakers, fashion, and music creates an interesting bubble of what pop culture is turning out to be today. This fusion of music and fashion has been quite popular since its conception and has profoundly influenced both these industries in more ways than we can imagine.
Written by Debjeet Chakravorty
Chords & Co. 