Nike Air Yeezy 2 - The much anticipated second installment of the Nike Air Yeezy will release globally on June 9th

In less than 2 weeks, the craziness that is the Nike Air Yeezy 2 will begin. The official press release  from Nike just came out today and it just added fuel to the fire that already burns extra hot for this shoe. On top of that, certain 'influencers' just started getting their pairs and sharing them on Twitter. Never have I seen such a massive hysteria over a a pair of shoes with NO history or story behind it create such energy. I am sure many that wanted these either already started camping out for them or got them on reserved already. But I doubt stores that got them will let them go for the asking retail of $250 when they know it can easily sell them for TEN times in the secondary market. What exactly is Nike getting into here, why not capitalize on this opportunity and make them more available? Why do they make a signature shoe for a jackass like Kanye? How come some gets freebies? Why can't I get a free pair? I mean I own a blog, LOL! Anyways, check out below for the official verbiage of the release from Nike.com

Forging a new form of sport craftsmanship, the Nike Air Yeezy II blends classic Nike court breakthroughs with the performance and aesthetic demands of bringing hype to a crowd of thousands.


A primal, tactile approach to technology runs throughout every element of the Nike Air Yeezy II. Armored animalistic forms imbue the upper. Hand skived anaconda textured leather quarter panels are embellished with a debossed Vac-Tech Nike Swoosh. The molded rear is sculpted with a reptilian inspired spike, while an engineered strap with scaled down spikes was developed to offer a greater sense of symmetry and lock down.


Bringing the inspiration forward from the late 1980's basketball foundation of the original Nike Air Yeezy, the II is built on the Nike Air Tech Challenge II tennis shoe outsole and celebrates iconic Nike Cross Training silhouettes with the addition of the molded forefoot strap.


There's absolute function at the Air Yeezy II's core. Unnecessary padding was eliminated, and the foot-hugging tongue and plush collar are both comfortable and breathable. Fit was essential to the design with the goal to make the shoe slimmer than the original by tailoring it to Kanye West’s foot. The collar was also lowered to allow for greater movement.


An obsessive approach to materials results in a luxurious mix of leather, rugged ballistic nylon, and soft nubuck. Concealed but opulent details reference ancient civilizations, including a loop strap with hieroglyphics that spell out 'YZY.' Each screw on lace aglet is obelisk shaped, and the anaconda texture is echoed on the eyelets and leather lace toggle that carries the Roman numeral 'II.'


The Nike Air Yeezy II in the Platinum and the Black edition will release June 9th at select global retailers in limited numbers.

NIKE ZOOM KOBE 7 (WHAT THE KOBE) - The not so average looking kicks

"ALL I KNEW IS THAT I NEVER WANTED TO BE AVERAGE"

If you read that quote above and look at the pics provided by Sneaker Freaker, whom would pop into your mind? KOBE BEAN right? You get NO MEAL! Kobe's idol said that in his book. Who is his idol? Well it's the one and only Michael Jordan of course. 

Throughout his legendary career, my man Mike provided many inspirational quotes but I remember this one because it relates so much with the current state of the sneaker world. Everyone is trying to go above and beyond average these days for the sake of being different. Didn't they used to hate different? Well different has a new appreciation these days, many folks are learning different languages, we all want to live in a different country, eat ethnic foods, even go as far as assimilating to a different culture altogether.

But the appreciation of different within the sneaker culture is well, DIFFERENT. Sneakerheads try so hard to differentiate themselves from one another and they ended up all the same. Their purchase habits are predictated by giant sneaker companies, 'fashion' to them consist of a black T-Shirt, camo cargo shorts, a fitted NewEra cap, a Casio G-Shock as their timepiece of choice and most recently a Nike Fuelband. I've seen robots rebels against their master before these sneakerheads will turn against their favorite brand. Mindless robots themselves, following what their "Influencers" told them to buy, wear and act. Doesn't that make them average in the end?

SneakerCon - Chicago 2012 Sponsored by adidas

This past weekend was a historic weekend in Chicago (and Los Angeles as well) The folks  in L.A. got to enjoy their sports teams battle their opponents at the Staples Center for back-to-back games, but unfortunately they all lost at home. While in Chicago, it was more than sports. The crosstown classic series between the city's most beloved Cubs and their southside counterpart, the White Sox became a sideshow to the NATO summit and all the disturbing baggage that it brought. Protesters took to the streets in 90+ degree heat and what started out as a peaceful march turned somewhat violent as some acted foolishly by refusing to disperse. Thank goodness all of that took place in the downtown area and closer to Chinatown. Up north, in the Logan Square neighborhood, we had a more peaceful and fun-loving event, SneakerCon. Not as glamorous as I thought it was going to be, but it was ok. Entrance was kinda steep at $12, prices of the sneakers are basically a rip-off, but a few dudes got a good deal, for the most part though, they are selling off recently released stuff that wasn't even considered dope or heat to sneakerheads. Li-Ning, Leaders1354, Bucketfeet and a few smaller locale entry was there. adidas was the official sponsor so they had the biggest set-up. I am definitely looking forward to getting the Jeremy Scott Flower Bear when they drop in a few month.

Reebok X Marvel - 2012 Reebok Classic Collaboration

Reebok is stepping up their retro game by bringing out the Allen Iverson's first signature shoe,  'The Question', next week May 25th. Also coming out is Shaq's first Reebok signature shoes as well as the Reebok Shaqnosis. They are also taking it a step further by releasing certain classic models in collaboration with Marvel. The beauty of these collaboration of course is not only the model of the shoes are classic, but the Marvel characters chosen can also be considered classic and they reflects in the great detailing throughout the shoes as well as the classic character drawings on the in-soles. My spider-senses is tingling just thinking about these lovelies, check out the beautiful shots taken by Ye-Wa.