The 50 Greatest Sneaker References in Rap History

The relationship goes beyond business, though. Having the right kicks became a symbol of status, an extension of the artist, and even a key exertion of dominance (see Rick Ross). Classics like the Jordans and Uptowns had their iconic status further solidified as hip-hop artists continued living on these tropes. The fact that European brands were also brought into the fold made picking The 50 Greatest Sneaker References in Rap History that much harder. But rest assured, the following quotables and songs hold some sort of importance in their own way. Yes, even that Nelly song.

Lyrics: "This is reminiscent to all the parks in the projects/When my British Knights, can rival your Foamposites/Don’t make me pull my Lottos out the closet"
Artist: Nas
Track Title: "Reach Out"

Nas ain't new to the rap game and in the track "Reach Out" from his recent Life Is Good album, he makes it known he ain't new to having fresh kicks either. We're gonna trust he has more heat in his closet in the form of British Knights and Lottos than the new breed of Foam 'heads.

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Lyrics: "Me and Skateboard P no Nikes/just a pair of Margiela get a broad tell her"
Artist: T.I.
Track Title: "Amazing"

Except we did actually spot T.I. wearing Nikes. He also likes wearing Jordans apparently. Like here, here, and here.

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Lyrics: "Where I'm from, life's a gamble, grab the dice/'Fore I leave, pray to God, then I grab my Nikes"
Artist: Fashawn
Track Title: "Sunny California"

It's a dangerous world out there, but if Fashawn is going to go out, he's going to go out in style. Definitely beats thuggin' in a pair of all-black Reeboks.

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Lyrics: "In the hood they say 50 man your sneaker look right yo/Just can't believe Reebok did a deal with a psycho."
Artist: 50 Cent
Track Title: "Stunt 101"

Back in 2003, the shock must've been at how far 50 Cent and his crew came up. Now the shock is now a bewildered "Wow, G-Unit sneakers was actually a thing?" A lot of things change in nine years.

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Lyrics: "My Martin was a Maison rock Margielas with no laces"
Artist: A$AP Rocky
Track Title: "Goldie"

Keep in mind A$AP is rocking the flyest gear in the video: Louboutin shoes, Alexander Wang-styled clothes, gold watches. Margielas would be right up his alley. He does manage to slightly one-up Jay-Z while he's in Paris; Rocky doesn't spill any of that Ace of Spades on his kicks.

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Lyrics: "Shoes on the coupe, bitch I got a Nike shop/Counts the profits you could bring 'em in a Nike box/Grinding in my Jordans kick 'em off they might be hot/Swish"
Artist: Rick Ross
Track Title: "John"

A true boss knows how to use things to their fullest extent-especially the Nike symbol. Rozay has every right to call those rims on his multiple whips a Nike shop; he's the one who bought them after all. Then why not use that shoe box those fresh kicks came in to store your dirty money? Talk about getting the most bang for your buck.

Here's a pretty unfortunate fact: John Lennon, who the song is actually named after, died five years before the first Air Jordans were released.

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Lyrics: "I stay sportin' played Jordans before Jordan/Verses tight, hooks harder than Ken Norton"
Artist: Jay-Z
Track Title: "S. Carter"

Leave it to Jay-Z to make such a boast. Mr. Carter was staking his claim as the king of the rap game in this joint, and what better way is there than to use another GOAT to prove your point. Hov would make a similar claim with the Yankees cap in 2009's "Empire State of Mind": "Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can."

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Lyrics: "Yo, fuck that/Look at all these crab niggas laid back/Lampin' like them gray and black Pumas on my man's rack"
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Track Title: "Triumph"

It shouldn't be a hassle for most people to find comfortable sneakers, but part of what makes Pumas so appealing is they legitimately look comfy. Almost too comfortable, even. This level of comfort angers Ghostface, who's outraged at the sight of the unnamed man lounging like the Pumas.

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Lyrics: "Niggas try P Imma blast 'em right there/You don't want your ear right next to your Nike Airs"
Artist: Styles P
Track Title: "How We Live"

A rather cold reminder that you can't take your footwear with you to the afterlife.

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Lyrics: "More lines than a million pair of adidas."
Artist: Canibus
Track Title: "How We Roll"

Six per sneaker, 12 per pair. That's 12 million lines we're talking about here. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough to save one of the most disappointing hip-hop debuts of all time. This skill came back to bite Canibus more than a decade later. Last year, Canibus proved that many lines may be too much to keep in his head when he appeared in a rap battle with a notepad. Probably should've stuck with quality over quantity.

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Lyrics: "Campin' out in that corridor/Fuck you waitin' on Jordans for/I middle-man it for 23/Just meet me somewhere around Baltimore"
Artist: Pusha T
Track Title: "I Don't Like (Remix)"

In Pusha T's mind, if you were waiting in line for those Bred 11's, you're doing life wrong. Do the right thing: Buy that 23 grams of cocaine from Pusha. Don't think of it as breaking the law; think of it as paying homage to a legend. The kids don't call him Mr. Sniffles for nothing.

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Lyrics: "I got more soul than Nike Airs, givin MC's nightmares"
Artist: Big L
Track Title: "I Don't Understand It"

Big L probably meant the "sole" when he spit this homonym, since the emcee was known for dishing out those cold, soulless punchlines throughout his tragically shortened career. In a metaphorical sense, L has a lot of sole because he can back up/support his talk by kicking his elite rhymes. Air Max Technology-supported shit talk, if you will.

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Lyrics: "Carolina blue kicks hottest nigga on the block"
Artist: Jay-Z
Track Title: "Best of Me"

Mya finds herself in quite the predicament. She'd like to stay with the man, but she knows she probably shouldn't because he's a player. His swagger, stacks of cash, and bedroom finesse prowess ("And you look like the I like It rough type," Jay-Z says) makes her decision ever harder. Also, there's those ever fresh Carolina Blue Nikes. We never learn whether or not Mya actually stays by the end of the song, but she probably did. Can't say no to those kicks.

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Lyrics: "You done switched from Nike to Reebok ha"
Artist: Juvenile
Track Title: "Ha"

It's not that Reeboks are that bad of a sneaker; Rick Ross doesn't seem to think so. However, it's hard not to believe that the main character would rather be wearing Nikes — especially with how crucial they were in the '90s. In the grand scheme of things, though, downgrading his footwear was probably the least of the character's problems in "Ha" (e.g. the erectile disfunction known as "dope dick"). A pair of Air Maxes wouldn't hurt, though.

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Lyrics: "Walking on the clouds, suspended in thin air/The ones beneath me recognize the red bottoms I wear"
Artist: Rick Ross
Track Title: "I'm On One"

Some of Ricky Rozay's better guest verses in 2011 had him wearing Louboutins, like in Drake's "Lord Knows." What makes this particular mention particularly notable is how far he stretches the metaphor. The haters aren't just looking up at his red bottoms because of his boss status; the boss is literally above you. Well...maybe not literally because he's smoking that purple haze in this verse, but let's use a little imagination here.

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Lyrics: "Reebok baby you need to try some new thing/Have you ever had shoes without shoe strings?"
Artist: Kanye West
Track Title: "Run This Town"

Alexis Phifer. Amber Rose. Kim Kardashian. If you're going to be Yeezy's girl, Reeboks just aren't going to cut it. Chris Rock famously noted that an upgraded swag is one of the many perks of being Mr. West's girl on "Blame Game"-along with possessing a re-upholstered pussy...or some shit.

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Lyrics: "My Timbs start feeling like they Nike Airs on me"
Artist: Jadakiss
Track Title: "Run"

Tinker Hatfield's creation is hailed as one of the most revolutionary sneaker designs in history. To Jadakiss, it would've been a really useful running sneaker in this scenario. Timbs are cool for that badass-mixed-with-comfort factor. Not so much for running from the feds. If those heavy boots are starting to feel like Airs, then Kiss' adrenaline must really be running. Or maybe he has really strong quadriceps.

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Lyrics: "On D Block, where everybody wants to be Pac/And you can get popped over the new G-Unit Reeboks"
Artist: Eminem
Track Title: "Welcome to D-Block"

One of those slightly outdated hip-hop lyrics. It's unacceptable to kill over sneakers in any circumstance, but killing over G-Unit sneakers now is just a dick move. However, they may actually remain at least somewhat relevant just because of how good Em's verse is. It's not "Forgot About Dre" or "Patiently Waiting" good, but good enough.

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Lyrics: "Since I came in the door became one of y'all leaders/In a fresh pair Air Force One sneakers/Uptowns we call 'em uppies when they're on divas"
Artist: Kanye West, KRS-One, Nas, Rakim
Track Title: "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" Remix

Hip-hop was just coming up by the time the first Ones came out in 1982. Twenty-five years later, hip-hop solidified itself as a force in the mainstream while Bruce Kilgore rose to iconic status. What better way to pay tribute to an essential by putting five legends (including DJ Premier) on one track. The four emcees from different generations had dope verses, but perhaps Rakim showed just how classic those uptowns are when he shouted out his co-artists: "Probably worn when KRS-One teaches/Nas made you look before the heaters/I bet you Kan' had 'em on when he walked with Jesus." He covers a 20-year timespan with a shoe that may be around for 25 more. The uptowns are classics however you refer to them.

Lyrics: "The worst-hated God who perpetrated odd favors/Demonstrated in the perforated Rod Lavers"
Artist: MF DOOM
Track Title: "Meat Grinder"

On his Rod Lavers entry for The 50 Greatest Tennis Sneakers of All-Time list, Adam Leaventon wrote "The Laver was a grown man's shoe too. So whenever I saw it, it was on an older person." It makes sense DOOM refers to it because he's the very representative of grown man shit on Madvillainy. The kiddies weren't getting any hooks or any of that stuff; DOOM was spitting lyrical labyrinths over a hazed-out environment in that ever gritty, husky tone. It's OK to not get the villain. Just make sure you check the Rod Lavers. You're not invited to take those bong hits in the West Coast anyways.

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Lyrics: "Rocks larger than life/Fuck them Reebok broads, you made it known who your wife was"
Artist: Foxy Brown
Track Title: Ain't No Nigga

Although there was nothing wrong with wearing Reeboks back in the '90s, they must've been pretty inexpensive. The problem is Foxy Brown is no inexpensive type of gal; Hov is going to have to spend that bread. Of course, Jay-Z only love 'em if the eyes are brown and if the weave is new nowadays .

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Lyrics: "Kicks 'Made You Look' Nas/Riding in the black joint listening to Gnarls Barkley's/On DS y'all, DS flow like nothing y'all heard/Broke ass niggas all see before (CB4s)"
Artist: Wale
Track Title: W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

Wale isn't afraid to throw those sneaker references in your face. Here, he doesn't just namedrops the CB4; he informs us that they're deadstock. Pretty cool if you're a sneakerheard. Plus, listening to Gnarls Barkley while wearing Barkleys is a pretty novel idea. Freestyling over Justice's "D.A.N.C.E" was, too.

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Lyrics: "Now everybody is movin' they body/Don't sell me apartment, I'll move in the lobby/ Niggas is loiterin' just to feel important/You gon' see lawyers and niggas in Jordans"
Artist: Kanye West
Track Title: "Mercy"

Ye has everyone dancing with the No. 1 song of the year while other crews try to be like his G.O.O.D Music clique. It's not like opponents can do anything, because he got the lawyers backing him up. Then there are the homies in Jordans to round out the cipher. Yup, 'Ye basically won life.

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Lyrics: "They drop like dominoes/And if you didn't know Ice Cube got drama hoes/So after the screwin/I bust a nut and get up and put on my white Ewings"
Artist: Ice Cube
Track Title: "Steady Mobbin"

When the Patrick Ewing first came out with his sneakers in the late-80s, being the choice sneaker to put on after having sex was probably the last thing in his mind. This either means a) Ice Cube was using them wrong or b) Ewing greatly underestimated his product.

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Lyrics: "And just for kicks make 'em gel like ASICS"
Artist: Viktor Vaughn
Track Title: "Saliva"

Viktor Vaughn (a.k.a. MF DOOM) shows he knows about his sneaker tech to go with his internal rhyme prowess. Along with being pretty comfortable, the GEL technology in ASICS allows for lighter footwear. The line gels well, like the rest of the track, and like ASICS he's moving along with light effort. Not a bad way to roll.

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Lyrics: "S dots on my feet makes my cipher complete"
Artist: Jay-Z
Track Title: "What More Can I Say"

Around the time The Black Album came out, Jay-Z had a sneaker deal with Reebok to release his S. Carter Collection. Cue the product plug via a Nas reference. Of course the kicks fall a little bit on the irrelevant side eight years later, but apparently these kicks were all Hov needed to complete that ciper on this song and what was then supposed to be his career.

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Lyrics: "Gucci Chuck Taylor with the dragon on the side"
Artist: Pusha T
Track Title: "Grindin"

Pusha T's job isn't to tell the listeners the downfalls of the coke; that morality stuff goes to Malice. If he's living on the edge, he's going to flaunt it because he knows very well it may all be gone in a heartbeat. He saves the grittier detail for later, and in the first verse he lets us know about he Benz, the jewels, and those Gucci Chuck Taylors. Ball 'till you fall indeed.

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Lyrics: "It don't make sense, goin' to heaven with the goodie-goodies/Dressed in white, I like black Tims and black hoodies"
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Track Title: "Suicidal Thoughts"

The stereotypical heaven has winged angels playing harps, all dressed in white, celibate, no liquor...etc. Biggie's heaven need to have black Timbs and hoodies. Perhaps the black Frank White needs that all-terrain comfort. Timberlands would be useful if it actually does snow in heaven.

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Lyrics: "So now I'm back spittin that 'he could pass a polygraph'/ That Reverend Run rockin adidas out on Hollis Ave"
Artist: Jay Electronica
Track Title: "Exhibit C"

This is Jay Electronica at his most prophetic. In "Exhibit C," he's drawing from religious references, gaining knowledge from the 5 percenters, shouting out the Verizon man, and just drawing all sorts of pictures in this lyrical behemoth. But if he's going to save hip-hop, it'd make sense he'd shoutout its pioneers. Reverend Run and adidas didn't sound this epic for a while.

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Lyrics: "I represent my DJ Scott LaRock/D-Nice, the beat box/I only wear Nike's, not adidas or Reeboks"
Artist: Boogie Down Productions
Track Title: "Word From Our Sponsor"

If you couldn't tell by Criminal Minded, the duo isn't easily impressed. It doesn't matter if Reeboks were one of the better fashion choices of the '80s or if adidas was the first sneaker company to sign an artist to an endorsement deal; The Blastmaster was sticking with those Nikes. KRS-One was never the type to buy into the hype.

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Lyrics: "Suede Timbs on my feet makes my cipher complete"
Artist: Nas
Track Title: "The World is Yours"

On Illmatic Nas has an impeccable technique, liquid flow, on-point production, and dozens of quotables (e.g. this line) Yet, all Nas needed was some suede Timberlands to complete that cipher. We're not entirely sure if not having Timb would screw the whole thing up, but Nas is the one with the credibility. We're just gonna nod our heads and drool over Illmatic for the next few decades.

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Lyrics: "Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn"
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Track Title: "Hypnotize"

In the "Hypnotize" video, Biggie and Puffy find themselves being chased by helicopters while they're in a boat full of models. This is all happening in the Florida Keys, mind you. Biggie starts his verse, then you hear it: "Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn." Within this uber outlandish/expensive scenario, the legend still found time to acknowledge the borough he grew up in. It's clear Frank White was doing this for hip-hop and Brooklyn. Not that poser in Queens.

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Lyrics: "Freeze as they cock the gats is what they yelling/Can't let them catch up because they'll ruin/So I hops the fence in my fucking Patrick Ewings"
Artist: MC Eiht
Track Title: "I Gots ta Get Over"

The narrator actually gets caught by the end of the verse. If he's convicted with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, he could be sent to prison for up to 5 years. Assuming this story takes place in 1992, which is when the song came out, the narrator will be released a year after Ewing Athletics gets shut down. Those same kicks he got caught in will be pretty played out by then.

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Lyrics: "Spilling Ace on my sick Js.
Artist: Jay-Z
Track Title: "N***as In Paris"

Jordans are the Holy Grail for some and a lifestyle for others. To Jay-Z, it's just another pair of kicks. Spilled some Ace of Spades on your fresh Js? Fuck it, we're in Paris. Jigga's nonchalant treatment of this first-world problem is one of the many details in Watch The Trone that makes the king life that much more fun to listen to.

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Lyrics: "Ok, fair enough/The streets is flarin' up/Cause they want gun talk or I don't wear enough/Baggy clothes, Reeboks or Adidas /Can I add that he do spazz out at his shows."
Artist: Kanye West
Track Title: "Everything I Am"

The line doesn't necessairy discount Reeboks or adidas like a few others on this list, it does drive home a point. Yeezy never followed trends; he's a trendsetter, which is a trait that has allowed him to be such a mainstay in pop culture for the past decade. He's not opposed to wearing adidas, either.

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Lyrics: Entire Song
Artist: Nelly
Track Title: "Air Force Ones"

The Uptowns got a pretty cool gift for its 20th anniversary: a Nelly song. Released at the peak of Nelly's career, "Air Force Ones" was a pretty straightforward ode to the sneakers, that made it as high as No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The resulting sales spike reasserted the Ones' relevance as well. That year clothes were coming off, but the Uptowns were staying on.

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Lyrics: "Stand on the block, Reebok, gun cocked"
Artist: Raekwon
Track Title: "Glaciers of Ice"

Part of what makes Only Built 4 Cuban Linx stand out is how it doesn't only rely on visceral thrills, but also on the vivid imagery in the lyrics. The grams of cocaine the narrator sells is a treasure to him, and a slow form of death to his customers. It just so happens this morally bankrupt business man is wearing Reeboks.

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Lyrics: "I stay strapped like car seats/Been banging since my lil' nigga Rob got killed for his Barkleys/ That's 10 years, I told Pooh in '95/I'll kill you if you try me for my Air Max 95s"
Artist: The Game
Track Title: "Hate It or Love It"

The mention of the 95s here is a dark symbol of cyclical violence. The Game touches on the all-too-common, but oft-ignored violence over sneakers. Since his childhood friend got killed over his Barkleys, he could very well be next, which prompts him to stay strapped. In addition, the 95s are known to be the Bloods' official shoe. That last bar represents both gang violence and that thirst for vengeance.

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Lyrics: "I ain't tryin' to stunt man/But the Yeezy's Jumped Over The Jumpman."
Artist: Kanye West
Track Title: "New God Flow"

The Yeezys were released on June 9th, and all the surrounding frenzy made some people forget the Jordan IV Military Blues were released the same day. There's no way Yeezy was going to let that fact slip without acknowledging it. West didn't even wait to release the song; he freestyled the verse a few weeks before "New God Flow" came out. However, December's Black and Red XIs release showed us the Jordans weren't going anywhere.

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Lyrics: "Threw on the Bally shoes and the fly green socks"
Artist: Slick Rick
Track Title: "La-Di-Da-Di"

You have to be a stickler for detail if you're going to be the greatest storyteller in rap history. Anybody could throw on a pair of Ballys, but the freshest of the fresh has to have the socks to stand out. It's the perfect way to round of an appearance that includes an eyepatch, Oil of Olay, and gold teeth. Don't forget that Kangol, either.

Plus, Slick Rick actually knows how to rock a pair of Ballys if you couldn't tell by the album cover.

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Lyrics: "A pair of bright phat yellow Air Max/Hit the racks stack 'em up/Son $20 off no tax"
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Track Title: "Apollo Kids"

Woah, stop the record. You're saying someone is selling those yellow Air Maxes $20 off? With no tax? Even Ghostface knows a good deal when he sees one. In "Apollo Kids," Tony Starks had just high-fived Kojak, got domed off in a drive-thru, and forced foes to crawl up into their granny's bed out of fear (you know, typical Ghostface stuff). The fact Air Maxes are still pretty high up on the priority list is a testament to how great the sneakers are.

Which makes what happens later in the verse all the more tragic: "Heavy rain fucked my kicks up/Wasn't looking splashed in the puddle/Bitch laughing, first thought was beat the bitch up." Even Ghost Dieni goes through the same sneaker struggles we face.

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Lyrics: "You couldn't converse if you had fucking React Juice."
Artist: Phife Dawg
Track Title: "Motivators"

In the mid-90s, Converse was producing a line of basketball sneakers containing React Juice. This React Juice, held inside of a bubble underneath the sneaker, would move to the area of the foot that needed the most support to encourage optimal performance. Which means if you had React Juice and you were still struggling against Phife Dawg, it may be time for another job.

This line does have a new meaning years later. The React Juice line had to be recalled because the bubbles would break and leak liquid all over the court. Basically, when you think you should have the upper hand on Phife, he's still going to catch you slipping. ZING!

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Lyrics: Entire Song
Artist: Run-D.M.C.
Track Title: "My adidas"

You guys probably remember that adidas commercial from a while back with Big Sean and Nicki Minaj. It has them cavorting along the streets of Paris, Tokyo, New York, Chicago, and Rio de Janeiro with all sorts of colorful outfits and people. It's all cute, but cutedoesn't exactly hold a candle to the iconic status Run-D.M.C. pushed the brand toward in the '80s.

The trio's representation of the brand went beyond style. Run-D.M.C. transformed shelltoes into a statement — almost a symbol of machismo that happened to have that swag. Once you put on those adidas you're doing the "illest things," which ranges from (but not limited to): stomping out diamond ring-clad pimps, rocking the beat, or just chillin'. Shoelaces aren't required

"My Adidas" was so good that it actually broke new ground for hip-hop, without even creasing the kicks. adidas ended up giving Run-D.M.C. an endorsement deal, which was a first for a hip-hop artist. It's a business, man.