User Submission: Words, Beats & Life

Sometimes the story behind a pair of sneakers goes beyond how exclusive they are or where you got them. The User Submission above comes from Words, Beats & Life in Washington, D.C., where they use hip hop as a vehicle for education. These particular Nike Blazers belong to a Words, Beats & Life student and are specked with paint from writing graffiti as part of the WBL program.

A friend of the StreetSneak’s is capturing the efforts of Words, Beats & Life in a yet to be released documentary, The District Rhyme. From what has been shot so far, TDR looks very promising, important and most of all, extremely dope. Check out the trailer here and go to thedistrictrhyme.com for more info.

Laced Ladies: Michelle Obama

The First Lady was in the Bronx last night, looking fresh in some triple velcro sneaks for Game 1 of the World Series. The kicks are made by Lanvin, and it turns out they retail for $500+. Not very recession friendly, but definite props to Mrs. Obama for wearing sneakers (Jill Biden wore heels) to a highly publicized outing.

Store Report: Flight Club NY

Welcome to yet another feature here at StreetSneak. Every Wednesday we’ll bring you updates from the very best (and sometimes very worst) spots that hawk those flat-soled goods you so desperately crave.

Today’s installment: Flight Club NY, Greene Street.

On the Street: Rain Gear, 86th & 3rd

Developing: People matching their footwear to their parasol (that’s fancy speak for umbrella).

That is all.

Cop or Not: Electric Green, Union Square

 

Radii

About a month ago we posted a user submission from a brand called Radii. The picture was blurry and at the time we didn’t know the brand, but we were intrigued by what we saw and liked the story that accompanied the picture, so it went up on the site. That was the last I had heard from Radii, until browsing AllHipHop.com today and coming across a profile of the brand. From rappers (and sort of rappers) rocking them to the proper pronunciation, this profile will fill you in. Check it out.

Best of New York

AM New York, one of the top two free daily newspapers in NYC, just released their annual “Best of New York” segment. They always touch on a wide variety of topics, but I still have to say I was pretty surprised and even a little impressed upon seeing “Haven For Sneaker Heads” as a category. They went with the Alife Rivington Club – it’s impossible to pay attention to the NYC sneaker scene and have anything but respect for ARC – which is a safe bet, but shows that they did their homework (or one of the interns is just a sneaker head).

Did AM New York do the sneaker world justice in the “Best of New York?”  Click below for a larger version of the caption from AMNY, read it, then leave us your thoughts.

Cardboard Shoes by Mike Leavitt

Remember kids, recycling not only helps save the world but also provides designers with new mediums for high design!

Be sure to check out Mike’s work now on view at Fuse Gallery.

- via Josh Spear via Arrested Motion

Krazi Junction

For those that have been following the site, this is the third time now that we’ve posted pictures of the Krazi Junction brand. Through StreetSneak, I connected with a dude who was telling me about the shoe brand that he started, Krazi Junction. From designing to marketing, he runs all aspects of the brand. He’s always showed love to StreetSneak, so when he sends me pics of his latest designs I like to get them up for the people to see.

High & Mighty: Air Force 1

Dope album cover...

The iTunes is on shuffle, and a track off the High & Mighty’s ‘Air Force 1′ EP just came on. I immediately thought of their ridiculously dope album cover (pictured above) from the 2002 release. Despite being a couple of Jewish dudes from suburban Pennsylvania, the High & Mighty are definitely no joke, and one of my favorite MC/DJ combos of the 90s. And they were rapping about Air Force 1′s long before Nelly was.

Any notable songs/artists/album covers related to sneakers? Leave a comment or shoot us an e-mail (thestreetsneak@gmail.com).