So many releases, so little time to think. It seems like every week, there is a "special release" that's dropping, and you have to get it. The question is: do you really WANT it? Alot of sneaker purchases lately seem to be driven by the resale price. Many outsiders, who have no love for the sneaker culture whatsoever, find solace in knowing they can buy a pair of Jordan's for $160, then turn around and sell it for $350. Now, I'm positive Nike is paying attention to this. What they've done is taken something people love and let define their lifestyle, and turned it into a business. The internet has turned into cancer for true sneakerheads.
I remember the days when you could wake up at 11 a.m. and you still had time to get dressed and go to Finish Line or Foot Locker, and they still had your size at 1 in the afternoon. Now, many sneaker releases are done online, and you have to be up at 8 a.m. (5 a.m. if you're on the West Coast) at your PC or iPhone, ready to "George Bush the button". If you're not logged in ready to go when the "Twitter link" drops, it's pretty much a wrap. Don't get me wrong, to see new generations of sneakerheads that have love for the culture is what will keep this going for years to come. But it is the ones that resell the kicks that force sneaker giants like Nike to drive up the price.
Retro releases, along with new colorways, are highly anticipated every time they drop. If you're buying every sneaker that comes out, you're not a true sneakerhead. You are what we call a "HYPEBEAST", and nobody takes you seriously. There was a time when you would get a new Air Jordan sneaker once, maybe twice, a year. Granted, that's when MJ was still playing. Now, you have Team Jordan, which gives you a replica of an original design with a slight twist at a cheaper price. In my opinion, it takes away the value of the original. (Example: The "Green Glow" 4's were followed by the "Green Glow" Son of Mars.)
With the internet being the "go-to" source for everything you need, the culture will never be the same. So how do we, as loyalists from day one, keep the culture from getting out of hand? How do we bring it back to the "sacred" status it once held? Mello and I have been talking about this as of late, and sometimes, you have to look at other sneaker releases that may not be on everybody's radar.
The retro Shaqnosis from Reebok, the Mutumbo's by Adidas, and the Grant Hill Fila's all seem to be a refreshing change from the "hype". For me, Every Air Jordan, especially from the VI's to the XVIII's, have a story on my timeline. I can tell you where I was, what was poppin' at that time, even the girl who bought them for me. For each pair of kicks, there's a saga, believe me. For many of these new heads, start doing your homework. Don't think just because you paid $500 for a pair of kicks that makes you somebody. There should be a REAL story behind why you want those kicks. Stop following the trends, following what everybody else is doing. It makes you look lame.
Get those kicks because you want to rock them, not impress the dudes on the block, or at school, or the barber shop. Do it for you.
We don't know where the sneaker culture is headed for the future, but you can be sure that prices will continue to spike, if the new generation of sneakerheads don't understand what this culture is really about. I'm done. Cali "O" #TeamKickGame #ForMyRealOnes #NoHypebeast
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