Fly Society: The Best Hip-Hop Inspired Sneakers of All-Time

Release Year: 2004

Complex Says: Cash Money is an army, and in the 2000s corporations were trying to team up with the dirty south royalty to mooch off their popularity as much as possible. Lugz teamed up with Bryan “Baby” Williams for a collection of shoes that were supposed to ring out in the streets. Brrrr, what happened to those shoes?

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: Times were hard as the 2000s rounded out and Fat Joe x Terror Squad were trying to help the people out. They teamed up with sneaker brand Protégé to work on a sneaker with style that the below-average income family could afford. The end product wasn’t too bad and a good look in a game that typically makes your bank account lean back.

Release Year: 2003

Complex Says: G-G-G-G-Unit! Right after Fitty dropped his first major release, “Get Rich or Die Trying,” dude wasn’t lying, he was doing just that. Everyone was trying to get a piece of Curtis including Reebok, who had just jumped into the hip-hop sneaker game with Jay-Z a year earlier. The sneakers were a pretty good design, affordable, and with the G-Unit branding they sold real well -- but not quite eight million strong. *Insert 50 Cent laugh*

Release Year: 2011

Complex Says: This wasn’t Snoops first run at a shoe, but by far his best. Adidas teamed up with the D-o-double gizzle on a premium black leather midtop which featured the eyes from the “Doggystyle” cover on the tongue. We can’t front, these were kind of hot.

Release Year: 2004

Complex Says: If you peeped MTV Cribs you knew Joey Crack was all about his kicks. In 2004 Nike teamed up with Joe for a very clean and simply designed Air Force 1. The Terror Squad “TS” was stitched into the heel giving Don Cartagena his place in sneaker history.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says:What happens when you take timeless album cover art and mesh it with a classic shoe? Jordan Brand took inspiration from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight Marauders,” blending footwear, art, hip-hop, and jazz into one entity.

Release Year: 2007

Complex Says: If you’re only listening to commercial radio or music in the clubs you may not be about MF Doom but the British-American rapper is a beast on the m-i-c. In '07, French designer Frenel constructed a black and grey Dunk SB High featuring Doom’s artwork, ostrich leather, and 3M accents.

Release Year: 2005

Complex Says: If you talk about classics, do they name get brought up? Nike used De La Soul’s album cover art for “3 Feet High and Rising” as inspiration for one of its dopest Dunks. The shoe featured a hologram from the cover art as well as elephant print and some loud colors. The lows were fresh, too.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: Part of Def Jam’s 25th Anniversary collection, adidas teamed up with the Snowman for his own sneaker. The shoe featured a snowy white nubuck upper with metallic silver accents and a Young Jeezy illustration on the tongue. Even the heel tab read “Snowman” in honor of your favorite trapper's favorite trapper.

Release Year: 2010

Complex Says: As one of the most influential producers and DJs in the game, it was only a matter of time before someone gave respect to a legend. Premier's sneaker exemplifies everything that is hip-hop and New York and features turntable accents as well as Premier’s name branded on the heel. RIP Guru.

Release Year: 2006

Complex Says: In 2006 streetwear Gods Supreme teamed up with Vans and used the Sk8-Hi silhouette and repped Public Enemy to the fullest. The shoe featured the words ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ on the vulcanized outsole and the PE logo on the upper. They brought the noise.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: Right before his passing, Adam Goldstein aka DJ AM gave hints that he was in the works with a sneaker collab with Nike. Shortly after his untimely death, the Nike Dunk High x DJ AM was released. The shoe featured a sick red upper meshed with black patent leather and the dot patterns synonymous with the Technics 1200 that gave the man his fame.

Release Year: 2007

Complex Says: Run-DMC and adidas go together like Jordan and Nike. Since the first time we remember the brand we remember the band. Shortly after hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay was slain, adidas commemorated the DJ's life with a collection of Jam Master Jay kicks.

Release Year: 2003

Complex Says: Jay-Z this, Jay-Z that — from the early 2000s to the present, not many rappers have held as much influence as the Jigga Man has. In 2003 Reebok signed Mr. Carter to a deal, and for his first release Jay paid tribute to to Gucci classics from the 1980s. Just like anything else Jay has done it sold real well and put millions in his pockets. So much for a hard-knock life.

Release Year: 1987

Complex Says: Shorthly after "My adidas" hit, adidas hit off the team from Hollis, Queens with a sneaker deal and some signature models of their own. The El Dorado highs and the Fleetwood lows were some of the very first hip-hop influenced sneakers to come out the game.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: Tony for Mayor. Ok, at least top-10 for hip-hop influenced sneakers. Pretty Toney signed with Def Jam in the 2000s, which meant more marketing and branding. When the label celebrated its 25th anniversary they dropped a whole gang of shoes, none iller than this Ghostface Killah themed purple suede, gold-accented adidas Forum. Ah yes, a perfect match for the illest hip-hop accessory, the infant-sized golden eagle bracelet.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: Kanye Louis the King Jr. owned 2009 when it came to the shoe game. Fresh off a collab with Nike you may have heard of, Kanye dropped news that he was teaming up with French powerhouse Louis Vuitton for a series of pop-luxury sneakers. The shoes were brilliantly designed, named after his friends, and only cost around a grand. We know most people had to pass on these releases but aesthetically not much else is comparing to them.

Release Year: 2005

Complex Says: Two giants in their respective field, Michael Jordan and Marshall Mathers were the inspiration behind the Air Jordan IV Eminem “Encore” edition. (UNDFTD may have had something to do with them, too.) These rare limited editions were mainly made for Shady’s friends and family and a few contest winners as well. When you’re the decade’s highest-selling artist you get a few perks.

Release Year: 1999

Complex Says: The Dunk of all Dunks, ain’t no messin’ with the Wu-Tang Clan. In 1999 Nike laced the Wu with a killer bee colorway of the classic Dunks. The release was limited to 72 pairs and can currently cost you around $5,000 for a pair. Kudos to you if you are in the streets with these but you best protect ya neck, kid.

Release Year: 2009

Complex Says: It’s been just over two years since the Air Yeezys released, and some people are still smackin’ themselves with a palm full of baby powder for missing out on these. Is it the Jordan inspired sole, the glow-in-the-dark feature, or the insane attention to detail and cut of the boot? The shoe was insanely over the top, which fit the artist perfectly. From the first moment we saw samples of the shoe to Kanye’s Grammy Performance you knew Mr. West had a hand in designing them. Not only is this the greatest hip-hop influenced sneaker, this may be one of the greatest sneakers of all time.