Wale: As far as the whole sneaker culture in D.C., there were so many types of sneakerheads, but we all knew each other. Back then, it was a super underground thing. To get Foams early, you were like the guy that knew people that knew people that knew people, and we were those guys – me, Sneaker Man Dan and my dude Adrian. We used to sell sneakers to all of the drug dealers on the 1st and the 15th; I vividly remember us selling those peanut butter Foamposites to everybody back in the day.
Nice Kicks: So, how do you expect people to differentiate between a person like you who’s been into sneakers for a while now and a person who just got into it literally yesterday?
Wale: Well, I think people differentiate me from a lot of the people because part of my place within sneakers came from being fly. I’m not into sneakers to just be having sh*t. People know me more for being fly. With me, I’ll show you how to rock the sh*t. I feel like that’s what they look to me for. 30% of my following follows me because of the dressing too – the aura behind the way I wear a shoe. It breaks my heart, though, because some people look at me like I’m the one that damaged it. I’ve always respected the culture, I always stuck to the code. I always showed love to the people who came before me, but because I rap, people will try to discredit my sh*t. People love to call me a hypebeast, but I’m like what the f*ck is hype? I wear what I like. I’ve worn a number of shoes that are not hyped, but I just love to death. Me? A hypebeast? People need to go back and look into their Wale folders, man. In the Complex Magazine shoot, I had the “Lucky 7″ Dunks on. I un-DS’d them for the first time on that set.
Nice Kicks: What’s one thing you’d like to see change in the sneaker culture?
Wale: #1 – Nike needs to figure out a way to reward the true sneakerheads. I always thought that Nike should put out signature shoes as quickstrikes, at least for like a year. Reward the guys who know about it and care about the culture, you know? There should be indirect awards for sneakerheads. I feel like we deserve that at least. Don’t make everything so widely available. You don’t even have to give it to us for free, but grant real sneakerheads access on the first day or something like that. Oh, and that bot sh*t is crazy. That should give Nike more of an incentive to want to reward the people who are really in it.
#2 – I also want to see Nike do less with the iD program. It kind of dilutes the shoe in a way because there’s someone out there that’s going to make a better one than the colorways that release to the public.
#3 – I’d like to see Nike SB step it up. I feel like – for some reason – Nike SB has been playing it safe over the past few years. I want to see more stuff like Mork and Mindys, the Jedis, the Olympics, the Sea Crystals and stuff like that. To me, the Pigeons are just OK. The 14-year-old me is not sleeping outside for a grey and orange sneaker.
Honestly, this culture matters to me, man. I passed on at least 3.5 million dollars for deals with other brands. I won’t put those companies’ names out there like that, but it was three different companies. The only way I sign with a different brand is if they do something for the community – like something for a whole football league in D.C. If it’s just for me and what I want, I’m going stick with the brands I like. That’s not to say I wouldn’t wear some Ronnie Fieg joints or Shaq joints, but at the end of the day, I stick with what I like and who I’ve been rocking with.
Nice Kicks: What’s one shoe today that defines you, and one shoe that means the most to you?
Wale: Flyknit is the new Air Max. We’re f*ckin’ with the Flyknits heavy, but the shoe that means the most to me is obviously the Foamposite because my hometown means so much to me. I was born in D.C., and I grew up in lower-to-middle class Maryland. That’s a very important part of my life – the schooling and all – and the Foamposite was there with me during those moments. It represents that time in my life.”
