DJ Clark Kent Discusses The 10 Biggest Sneaker Collectors In Hip Hop

Clark says : Every time a picture is caught of Jay, his sneakers are brand new. He comes from the era where guys wore brand new sneakers everyday. Your white-on-whites were disposable if they got dirty. As soon as they got dirty, they were gone. Since I knew Jay, we used to shop at "Tom Dick and Harrys" and, "What they got?" would be the question between us. Half of our conversations were, "What they got?" And that's how it always was between us.

Clark says: Wale's the truth. That's it, that's all. Wale has all kinds of shit from 20 years ago, and he rocks it. He is the type to wear Diamond Turfs from 15 years ago and they'll be brand new. He's not biased to one kind of sneaker, he rocks Trainers, Dunks, SBs, he's a sneaker lover. He's a sneaker lover, I don't believe in the term "sneaker head". Wale is true to the game as a guy who loves sneakers. Every time he comes to NY he's like, "What you got Unc? You got anything new for me?" With all the shit he got, I should be asking him.

Clark says: There's not too many people in or out of the game who can see what he was doing. There's no explanation needed. Even in death he's smacking people. They can't fuck with him. Respect that guy.

Clark says: Biz's closet probably looks a catalog of sneaker history. He may have 4000-5000 pairs of sneakers, maybe not in good condition, but vintage everything. Every brand that meant something to NYC at any precise moment, he has it. Etonics, everything. They're not in great condition, but they're wearable. You can go to his house and see the history. None of them are being taken care of, they're just boxes of old sneakers.

Clark says: He has crazy shit. Just Blaze has crazy sneakers, even though he's not into like it he used to be. Right now he can wear sneakers people would go crazy for. Me and him used to cop from the same dude. He doesn't even care, but he has them. He'd cop stuff in my size and not even wear it, just 'cause he wanted it.

Clark says: His Jordan P.E. game is unmatched, he has tons of Jordan P.E.s and a bunch of Air Force 1 P.E.s. It's retarded. He also likes general release sneakers, it's not like he likes just special shoes. He goes all the way, I respect it. He wears a lot of shoes. He won't wait for a special occasion to wear them, and that's important. He's one of those guys who really does it when it comes to kicks. He didn't wait for anyone to bless him with any kicks, he goes out and gets them.

Clark says: Greg Street has the most diverse collection of sneakers I've ever seen anybody in Hip Hop with. If a special sneaker is made by Converse, a special limited shoe by Jordan, he has it. The Shadys, the UNDFTDs, everything. When they made special Air Maxes that were only put out in Europe, he had them. If it's limited, he has it. He's the one 1 of 24, always. He gets it. He's the best, he just doesn't have the volume Fat Joe has. When I tell you he got it, he got it. I go to his place and there's 2,000 pairs of sneakers.

Clark says: Bun B is the Underground King. His kick game is always proper, he always has heat, and he wears his sneakers! He's not sitting on anything, he gets them, and he wears them immediately. As soon as he gets it, he wears it. Like, "You guys don't have this, I do." He plays the game like a real sneaker guy. His affinity for sneakers is neck-breaking. He still does it like a kid. We all do. We all do it like the kids.

Clark says: Unannounced to people, Tigger has had the kick game on fire for years. He's always been in TV and he's always had shit early, but if he didn't get it, he'd cop. Every company made sure he had it, so even if he didn't cop, his assist game was retarded. I've seen him wear some shit. If he took pics of shit he got in the mail, it'd be crazy. He runs DC radio, in DC he's on fire, and he's still Big Tigger. He still does events, he still does all of that stuff. Crazy.

Clark says: I shouldn't have to explain.