A Brief History of Shoes Getting Stepped On in Pop Culture

Image via Complex Original

When: 1956

You thought Elvis wrote "Blue Suede Shoes," didn't you? But Carl Perkins is the man who sang the tune that warned everyone to step away from his buttery kicks. One of country's biggest badasses, Johnny Cash, supposedly planted the seed in his head about letting people know that it's fucked up to step on a man's pride and joy, his shoes.

When: 1989

Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing is an honest look at race relations in America--with many of the themes and scenarios unfortunately still as relevant today as they were in 1989. Lee, whose affinity for Jordans and work with the Jordan Brand is well documented, encapsulates every sneakerhead’s worst nightmare when Buggin’ Out’s “brand new white Air Jordans” get scuffed by a clumsy passerby wearing a Larry Bird tee shirt. The scene escalates when Buggin’s posse joins the scene, in the end, a wound-up Buggin’ is left brushing the dirt off of his IVs with a toothbrush while Lee zooms in on the now ruined kicks.  

When: 1990

Krusty the Klown got busted for a crime he didn't commit. But everything got straightened out because Homer stepped on "his" shoes. But Krusty's feet weren't big enough to fill his own clown shoes. Which made them realize it was Sideshow Bob, because his toes could fit the O.D.-big set of steps.

When: 1996

Busta Rhymes is one of the wildest dudes to ever grab a mic. On his 1996 smash hit "Woo Hah! Got You All in Check," he laid it our clearly: Step on his shoes, and you're getting dealt with. Busta rhymed, "How dare you ever try to step on my suede shoes, Top Gun shut down your firm like Tom Cruise." Busta isn't a dude mess with, especially over his shoes.

When: 1999

There's no sex in the champagne room, but Chris Rock's foray into hip-hop also revealed sneaker-related advice: don't flip out if someone steps on your sneakers. They're just sneakers. Even though the song had comedic value, Rock preaches, "Young black men -- if you go to a movie theater and someone steps on your foot, let it slide. Why spend the next twenty years in jail cause someone smudged your Puma?" If only we could all keep our cool in this situation.

When: 2001

Big Pun posthumously dropped "Endangered Species," a collection of hits and unreleased songs that still holds up today. On the haunting track "Mamma," Pun flips a pristine Alchemist beat the way only he could. The song features a vulnerable Pun rhyming effortlessly about the love for his mother and trying to turn the other cheek during confrontation in an effort to stay out of the pen. Pun fails when, according to him, "Last week at the flicks / I had to kill somebody for steppin' on my kicks / Stupid." While Pun’s lyric is more tongue-in-cheek than literal, the lesson is this: If you’re pissed off, don’t head to the movie theater wearing anything but beaters.

When: 2003

“Ay dog, Ay! You stepped on my sneaker mayne!” yelled Earl “The Snake” White after getting his Air Force Ones stepped on by rival gang member General Cornrow Wallace. This is one of the funniest moments of Chapelle's Show, but it also draws parallels to real-life gang violence that happens over stupid shit. Moral of the story, don't step on some one's kicks, ever.

When: 2005

The Boondocks is rife of social commentary on issues that don't get discussed on the news. Like what happens when someone initially intentionally steps on another person's sneaker. In the first season of the show, Grandad gets into a fight with an old, blind man, who purposely stomps on his all-white sneakers. It's explained, "Expensive sneakers are like $150 landmines. Step on one, and BOOM! A perfectly rational black man can explode."

When: 2007

New Orleans rap group 3 Deep knows the struggles of wearing a fresh pair of sneakers to a party. They often get stepped on by unsuspecting patrons. In their song "Watch My Shoes," the crew rapped, "You can get loose, but watch my shoes." Don't expect the crew to get angry, they further to go on and rap about throwing fists if their kicks get stepped on.

When: 2008

Even Nelly hates when someone steps on his sneakers. His 2008 sneakerhead track "Stepped on My J'z," suggests that he knows the struggle of getting your kicks disrespected by another man's sole. He talks about the excitement of getting a new pair of Jordans--which he paid $200 for--and getting them stomped on. Straight disrespect.

When: 2012

Marc Gasol is such a beast that he literally ripped through Blake Griffin's pair of Hyperdunks. In the 2012 NBA playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies' big man stepped on Griffin's sneaker and caused the the toe area to be shredded. Luckily, Griffin had a couple pairs to switch into and continued on in the game.

When: 2013

In the film This Is the End, a portal straight into the underworld opens up, and Kevin Hart doesn't immediately get sucked in. His sneakers, however, are grabbed by Aziz Ansari, in which he responds, "Aziz, get the fuck off my adidas," and kicks his fellow comedian to a fiery death.