Fresh Pair season two continues with another fire episode featuring a legendary hip-hop guest that not only helped define the genre but solidified himself as a cultural icon, transcending from rapper to household name status and earning a place on many people’s Mount Rushmore of West Coast hip-hop (also a spot he declared for himself by starting Mt. Westmore).
If you know anything about Ice Cube — we’re going to assume you do — you’re well aware that his rap moniker isn’t just a random grouping of words. Cube is supremely cool, but even a pair of sunglasses and his famously chill demeanor wasn’t enough to mask his excitement over what Katty and Just cooked up for him. After the big sneaker reveal, Cube looked at his custom AF-1s like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide with wonder.
Have you ever heard Ice Cube say “wow” and mean it? That alone makes this episode a must-watch.
The fresh pair led Cube to share stories about how he first linked up with Hank Shocklee in the wake of NWA’s breakup, the making of his legendary album Death Certificate, and explain how “It Was a Good Day” was essentially the song version of his movie Friday. But that’s not all, Cube also talked a bit about the beef between The Big 3 and the NBA, and revealed his top five favorite storytelling rap tracks. It’s a deep interview with a dope pair of shoes and one of the most entertaining personalities in all of hip-hop — you already know what to do!
A couple of years back, Ice Cube shared some of his storytelling inspirations with Uproxx for People’s Party With Talib Kweli. He popped back into Uproxx Studios in LA recently, this time, to sit down with Just Blaze and Katty Customs for Fresh Pair, and once again talked storytelling in hip-hop. This time around, he shared his five favorite narrative rap songs, which he called “the best hip-hop ever.”
Of course, Ice Cube himself wrote what has long been considered to be one of hip-hop’s top storytelling raps in his 1992 hit single “It Was A Good Day.” The second single from his third solo album, The Predator, “It Was A Good Day” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has been the subject of a running joke in internet culture of people trying to determine just which day Cube describes in the song (he maintains he had no particular day in mind, but that hasn’t stopped online sleuths from trying). It was also recently reproduced by Logic, drawing mixed reactions from fans — although the original artist liked it.
Somehow, Cube’s list of the best five storytelling songs does not include his own rap staple, but does have some old-school classics. Among them: Timeless, foundational hip-hop hits from Slick Rick, Dana Dane, Boogie Down Productions, and at least one left field take (it’s not really much of a story, after all).
You can find out which songs Ice Cube picked in the preview clip above; the full episode drops Wednesday, 7/26 at 3pmET / 12pmPT.
In the return of Uproxx’s Fresh Pair, Port Arthur, Texas rapper (and secret Swiftie) Bun B breaks down his career for hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs as they break down the custom sneakers they made for him based on that career. One funny anecdote involves the filming of the video for “Big Pimpin’” and Bun’s reaction to receiving a personal phone call from Jay-Z.
Near the 11:30 mark in the episode, Just recalls his reaction to listening to “Big Pimpin’” for the first time, Bun recounts how he and his UGK partner-in-rhyme Pimp C were tapped to appear on the record.
“I thought the call was a prank,” he admits. “It was a blocked number. I was like, ‘Who’s this?’ He was like, ‘It’s Jay-Z,’ and I was like, ‘Yo, stop playing on my phone,’ and I hung up.”
However, Bun picked up when Jay called back and thanks to Jay’s distinctive voice, recognized that it really was the superstar rapper. It’s a great story about how the early rap business still had a personal touch.
Bun also recalls Pimp C’s initial skepticism about the song, the surprise of its success after a prior single flopped, and Pimp’s hilarious reaction to being told to take off his mink coat during the video shoot in Trinidad & Tobago.
UPROXX, the popular youth culture and music platform, has announced the highly anticipated launch of season two of its original series, Fresh Pair. The first episode is now available for streaming on YouTube.com/UPROXX Video and Uproxx.com, with future availability on WMX Hip-Hop on The Roku Channel (Ch. 1137). Hosted by Grammy Award-winning hip-hop producer Just Blaze and renowned sneaker customizer Katty Customs, Fresh Pair season two offers captivating interviews with some of the biggest names in culture, including hip-hop icons Bun B, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, and more.
Continuing the format that fans adore, each episode revolves around a unique “script” provided by a one-of-a-kind pair of sneakers. Katty and Just collaborate to design custom shoes inspired by the featured guest. The reveal of the customized sneakers sparks engaging discussions about the guests’ careers, personal journeys, and their deep connection to sneaker culture and streetwear style.
“One of the most compelling things about hip-hop as a genre is the sense of walking in an artist’s shoes through their storytelling and art,” says Just Blaze. “Fresh Pair goes the extra mile in its second season to deliver what fans look for across culture in that regard – emphasizing the music, the style and the stories of some of the biggest names in the game.”
Katty Customs added, “Fresh Pair challenges us in the very best way. We take every element of the design very seriously and dive deep into the culture to conceptualize, design and create personal classics for our guests. It’s the best feeling when they resonate and you get to hear their reaction. Then to get to hear the fan response – that takes it to the next level for me, as a creative.”
Fresh Pair is back, baby! Sneaker artist extraordinaire Katty Customs and legendary hip-hop producer Just Blaze have teamed up once again — taking their sneaker customization operation to the city of Austin, Texas for a special live episode starring UGK alum, Bun B.
A renowned sneakerhead in his own right, Bun is no stranger to a fire pair of kicks, considering that and the fact that the Fresh Pair team was visiting Bun’s home state, Katty and Just Blaze had their work cut out for them and nailing the right design was of paramount importance. We won’t spoil the reveals for you here (it’s a lot more fun to watch) but we will say that Bun was beyond impressed with what Katty and Blaze cooked up, inspiring the legend to share never-before-heard stories from his come-up and lengthy career.
Throughout this 30-minute episode, Bun takes us behind the scenes of the recording of “Diamonds and Wood,’ as well as the production process of UGK’s classic, Ridin’ Dirty. Later, Just Blaze and Bun reminisce about their early run-ins with Rockafella Records and Jay-Z and address that iconic moment in the “Big Pimpin’” video when Pimp C rocked a mink coat in 100-degree weather.
With the many references and nods to Bun’s career that Katty and Bun crammed into this single pair of sneakers, the hip-hop legend was bursting with stories to tell. Catch the full episode above and try to guess Bun’s out of 10 rating before we hit the post-interview during the credits.
With 2023’s SXSW events officially behind us, it’s time to look back on all the madness, chaos, and (above all) fun that went down in Austin, Texas last week. And no shortage of those memorable moments came via Fresh Pair co-host and all-around icon, Just Blaze. Backed by Twelve Rivers Realty and the video game company he cofounded, Brass Lion, Just went all-in this year with a four-day, three-night takeover of Native Hostel, including a live taping of UPROXX’s Fresh Pair with co-host Katty Customs and Texas hip-hop legend Bun B, sponsored by our partners Los Siete Misterios mezcal, STEPN, and WAGMI Beach.
Night one of the takeover opened with Just Blaze throwing a party in the Native Hostel ballroom which quickly turned into one of those nights that feels like it only happens in the movies. Over the course of more than seven hours (!!!), the superproducer was joined on stage by DJ Jazzy Jeff, Talib Kweli, Bun B, Redman, Jadakiss, Freeway, Beanie Seigel, and eventually even Dave Chappelle.
I mean… just look at this scene:
Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be there that night? Who wouldn’t have been geeked when Dave Chappelle pushed away his (incredibly tough-looking bodyguards) and waded into the crowd for photos? Or when Redman came out spitting absolute fire with the same intensity and speed he had on his fastball in ’99?
Steve Bramucci
The next day, Native Hostel, Brass Lion, and Twelve Rivers hosted Fresh Pair for their first on-the-road live taping, sponsored by Los Siete Misterios mezcal and STEPN. Katty Customs brought some killer fits to present to Bun B while he opened up about everything from his early hits to working with Jay-Z. That taping was followed by a cocktail party hosted by Los Siete Misterios who also set up a tasting table to sample their full line of mezcals while DJ Buck Rodgers spun and scratched, the crowd danced, and tacos circulated.
August 11, 2023, will mark the 50th anniversary of the house party largely credited with the creation of hip-hop. Although the various elements of what we’ve come to know as the world’s most popular and influential cultures were already taking root in the streets of New York City, the birthday party that Cindy and Clive Campbell (aka DJ Kool Herc) threw in the rec room of their apartment building became the widely accepted inception point of hip-hop in the history books.
Now, 50 years later, the musical innovations that grew out of that soiree and the block parties that followed it have become the foundation of a global phenomenon with branches on nearly every continent. Hip-hop, once thought to be a trend that would go the way of disco, has instead flourished, changing the way the world acts, dresses, and talks through multiple generations of musical evolution.
But it all started with the DJ, the one who played the breaks back-to-back to form the beats that all rap music, from early electro to G-Funk to trap and cloud rap, is built upon. So, who better to talk about the history of rap than one of its most prolific DJs (and producers), Just Blaze, whose experiences span nearly the breadth of hip-hop’s history? His memory for all things hip-hop is darn near photographic – or should I say “phonographic” (sorry) – and he’s got an ear for details that makes picking his brain a treasure hunt that always bears fruit.
“This is an art form that is truly organic, truly natural,” he says via Zoom. “It came from a place of struggle, as do many things in our community. And for something that we created from a place of struggle and not having, for it to be as lucrative… The money aspect is great, but to be as lucrative, but also just as influential, as it has become worldwide, it’s truly an astonishing thing to see.”
Just’s earliest memories of hip-hop stem all the way back to the early ‘80s when the first rap records were first finding their way to radio stations throughout the Tri-State area. The New Jersey-bred producer fell in love at first listen. “I remember my younger days when I was a literal kid, like six, seven years old, and discovering this music, only to be told by my elders, ‘Well, when we were kids, we thought Motown was going to last forever. And trust me, in 10 years it’ll be something else.” And that was 40 years ago, and we’re still here and stronger than ever and more powerful than ever.
But obviously, hip-hop has changed a lot in the decades since. Where once, all you needed was a four-track drum machine and a microphone, there’s a lot more technology involved in crafting a hit. While Sylvia Robinson brought in a session band to replay the riff from Chic’s “Good Times” on “Rapper’s Delight,” today’s producers have a wide array of samples to choose from, pulling liberally from any genre that strikes their fancy. Whether breakbeats or 808s, jazz samples, or pre-produced loops, there is any number of permutations the music can take.
Likewise, rappers themselves look vastly different from their forebears. Adidas tracksuits are a thing of the past; now, you might see a rapper from Atlanta decked out like a rock star, or one from Compton dressed like a vision of the far future. “Everything that’s old will be new again, everything that’s new will eventually get old,” Just says of the rapid evolution. “The first round of records were kind of emulations or recreations of what was happening in the parks. But then you enter that second generation of it being put on record, starting with ‘The Message’ or whatever. And then you fast-forward only three years later, two, three years later, and it’s Run DMC. All black. It looked like dudes from the streets as opposed to the previous generation that looked like dudes dressing like P-Funk.”
When he looks at where hip-hop is now, he very much recognizes tinges of records that he had a hand in himself. “Over the past two years, I’ve cleared so many samples of my records from the early 2000s,” he beams. “There’s kids rhyming over flips of Fabolous’ ‘Can’t Let You Go.’ There’s kids rhyming off of [Cam’ron’s] “Oh Boy.” I shouldn’t call them kids respectfully, but younger people rhyming off of records that I created in the early 2000s. You got R&B records that are flipping all the R&B records from the late ‘90s and early 2000s as well. So it’s all a cycle, right?”
And despite the new technologies that bring the music to the audience, he still sees a place for the original purveyors of the sound, the DJs. While Spotify rolls out algorithmic playlists and TikTok presages the breakaway hits of the future, Just Blaze knows that there’s just no replacing the living, breathing, person behind the turntables. Sometimes, someone just has to be able to feel the vibe.
“It started out where the DJ was at the forefront,” he recalls. “The emcees were kind of just the backup. They kept the party going. And those routines evolved to eventually provide the early building blocks for songs. Over time, that focus changed in certain genres. So obviously in hip hop, the focus remained on or started to shift towards the emcee for various reasons that are too long to get into here.”
“I look at other genres that have spawned out of similar traditions that hip-hop did, like house music today, which kind of traveled a similar parallel to hip-hop in terms of where it came from. It came from a place of struggle and not having much. A lot of times in that world, the DJ’s still the star of the show. You can have a number one record in the world, nobody knows who the singer is. They know who the producer/DJ was.”
But, he says, “You can never completely take the DJ out of the equation because hip-hop is still very much a street-level culture in many ways. Even though radio plays a different role than it did before the advent of streaming, many records were broken on the radio by DJs. A lot of records still break in the club. Who was running the club? DJs. Remove the DJ from the equation, a lot of these records don’t get the legs that they end up with to allow them to enjoy success…. You could never fully remove the DJ from the equation because like I said, it starts with the DJ.”
So, where does hip-hop go in the next 50 years? It’s proven its staying power. It’s driven ad campaigns, and fashion trends, and even formed the innovative backbone of many industries like tech – just look at AI, NFTs, streaming, and virtual rappers. Just, despite being a fountain of insight, doesn’t want to hazard a guess and end up looking like the elders who told him that hip-hop was just a fad.
“I’m not going to purport to know where hip hop goes in 50 years,” he demurs. “What I will say is, what I hope to see is a return to a bit more of balance. I have nothing against the music that the younger generation is making because I’m cognizant that I’m not the target audience. And one thing that I strongly dislike is when folks from previous generations, whether they be consumers or creators, try to downplay the music that the younger generations are making. It’s like, this music isn’t for you.”
Like a health-conscious person eating more nutritious food, getting more rest, and still occasionally indulging in a sweet treat, the folks who make up this culture are going to need to be more intentional about their choices. “I would like to see a return to balance when you could hear in one day, or in a two-hour span whether it was on TV or on the radio, you might catch Public Enemy, X-Clan, MC Hammer, De La Soul, Pharcyde, some local groups that were making noise,” Just advocates. “You would catch all that and then still hear the super popular… You might still catch Vanilla Ice on the radio too, for better or worse.”
This, he posits, is the key to ensuring that hip-hop sees its 100 birthday, which isn’t as far away as it might seem. After all, 1979 turned out to not be all that long ago. Time flies when you’re having fun – and at its core, that’s what hip-hop is all about. Happy birthday to the culture – and many more.
Uproxx has a new show and in honor of its first guest, New York rap icon Jadakiss, we’re taking a look at some of the mixtape legend’s finest contributions to hip-hop’s ever-grown canon of gritty street classics. In the debut episode of Fresh Pair, hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs sit down with Kiss to discuss his one-of-a-kind rap legacy, get his top five best rap voices in hip-hop, and show off a unique pair of custom sneakers inspired by his influential 25-year career. From his 1994 debut as a member of The Lox to a successful solo career to his recent star showings on Verzuz, Jadakiss has become one of rap’s most revered figures for his humor, wit, and Yonkers-bred charisma, as well as some of the hardest verses ever to grace a DAT tape. Here are just 20 of his absolute best.
Have you seen Jadakiss on Uproxx’s Fresh Pair? Check it out below!
20. “You Make Me Wanna” Feat. Mariah Carey
Over the years, Jadakiss has become best known as a rugged spitter, but he can make songs “for the ladies,” too. As was the custom in his early 2000s heyday, Jada’s R&B collabs proved to be as effective as his battle raps.
19.”Jadakiss Interlude” With DJ Khaled
What better testament to the long shadow Jadakiss casts over the rap world than having his own interlude on DJ Khaled’s God Did in which all he does is rap his ass off, no chorus, no hook, no fancy concept — just bars?
18. “Why” Feat. Anthony Hamilton
Jada’s first — and to date, only — foray into so-called “conscious rap” helped bring down the wall that separated the mainstream from socially aware hip-hop in the early 2000s. Part of the reason is due to the smart framing of “Why.” Rather than preaching at listeners, he invited them into the conversation, simply asking questions — instead of a local organizers’ meeting, “Why” sounds more like a barbershop conversation. Still, even as he wonders at the various shortcomings of society, he finds time to remind listeners why they tuned in to begin with: “Why is Jadakiss as hard as it gets?”
17. “Hot Sauce To Go”
The perfect track to display Jada’s penchant for picking unconventional beats, this Kiss Of Death smooth groover might not be a universal favorite, but it’s hard to deny the salsa flair of its Neptunes-produced beat. Pharrell provides a signature falsetto hook, while Kiss loses his normally gruff demeanor to show he can two-step when it’s time to. While he’s usually mean-mugging and threatening on tracks, this time, he’s ready to party.
16. “Put Ya Hands Up”
Like “We Gonna Make It,” “Put Ya Hands Up” originates from his solo debut album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye. The third single from the album, it’s a gritty showcase for his head-spinning wordplay, which at the time, was still mind-blowingly novel at the mainstream level. “And y’all scared I can tell,” he boasts. “And I’ma get Bucks like Milwaukee cause like Sam I Can-sell.” In the future, this sort of intricate double entendre would be commonplace, especially on the battle rap circuit, but in 2001, it was like poetry in motion, ahead of its time.
15. “By Your Side”
Although it’s more emotive than some of his earlier material, this standout from Jada’s 2004 album Kiss Of Death still matches with his rugged sensibilities courtesy of a hard-hitting beat by Baby Grand. Weaving a narrative ode to both friends and foes in the streets, Kiss also weaves his flow between the catchy vocal sample, as usual demonstrating that his lyrical talents are up to just about any challenge — even those he imposes on himself.
14. “F*** You” With The Lox
Sidebar: We Are The Streets, The Lox’s 1999 Ruff Ryders debut, has the most hilariously literal album cover of all time. That aside, Jada’s verse here sets things off with a bang as the crew declares the mission statement for the second phase of their careers. “Yo, everybody’s a snake / That’s why I try to keep the grass cut / So I can see ’em when they coming / Then I heat they ass up.”
13. “Knock Yourself Out”
Jada’s debut solo single, produced by The Neptunes, introduced him to the world at large — who until then, only really knew Jadakiss from his features and work with The Lox. Here was his chance to prove that he could offer up more than just fire 16s, one at a time. He passed that test with flying colors with “Knock Yourself Out.” He also, weirdly enough, wore a paper towel wrapped around his head like a bandana in the video, ensuring that rap fans would keep discussing it over twenty years later by memes struggling to decipher that inscrutable decision.
12. “Rite Where U Stand” With Gang Starr
Appearing on Gang Starr’s 2003 album The Ownerz, this track paired Jada with one of his greatest influences and proved he could hang with the pioneers as well as he could his contemporaries. He was also unafraid to use his music to speak on his various industry woes after getting stuck in a less-than-favorable contract with Interscope — another way he blazed a trail for future generations of artists.
11. “New York” With Ja Rule and Fat Joe
In the midst of Ja Rule’s ongoing feud with 50 Cent — which is still going, by the way — the beleaguered Ja released an absolute gem in 2004, recruiting two of New York City’s most respected voices for backup. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save him in the court of public opinion, but “New York” was a blessed byproduct of the battle that remains an example of the power of a collaboration between icons. Also, “I’m in the hood like them little motorcycles” is still one of the greatest things anyone has ever said on a beat.
10. “John Blaze” With Fat Joe, Big Pun & Raekwon
One of a long line of posse cuts on which Jada has stolen the show, his achievement here is made all the more impressive by the lineup. Fat Joe is in full Diggin’ In The Crates mode on this track from 1998’s Don Cartagena, Big Pun packs his verse with dizzying multisyllabic rhyme patterns, Raekwon spits a cool verse, and Nas is Nas. But counting up the quote-ables? Jadakiss goes hard.
9. “Made You Look Remix”
Whatever they were smoking in the studio when they made this should be preserved and distributed to every rapper’s home address weekly. No one would ever drop a dud verse again. Jada came as close as he ever has to living up to his boast that he’s the “top five, dead or alive” with this verse from the remix of Nas’ 2003 megahit.
8. “Blackout” With DMX, Jay-Z & The Lox
An absolute monster of a track, “Blackout” landed on the rap scene like a mortar round. In late 1998, DMX was hot off his smash debut It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot and no one could have anticipated that he’d follow up with another one in Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood. Then, to throw gas on the fire, the Dark Man threw one of the hottest up-and-coming trios in the business on a track with Jay-Z. Naturally, Jadakiss is the match that lights the flame, opening the track with the boast that “n****s throw us on the album, try to boost they sales.” For what it’s worth, it looks like it worked; DMX legendarily became the first rapper to drop two No. 1 albums in the same calendar year.
7. “It’s All About The Benjamins” Feat. Puff Daddy & Lil Kim
Listen, totally aside from the fact that Jada comes in hot with one of the hardest verses on Puff Daddy and the Family’s 1997 album No Way Out, this is actually Jada’s track from the jump by virtue of the fact that he penned Puff’s verse, despite not being totally sure his new boss could pull it off. The rest was history.
6. “Money, Power & Respect” Feat. DMX & Lil Kim
The title track from The Lox’s 1998 debut album, it’s a surprisingly philosophical breakdown of life’s necessities — at least, by The Lox’s standards. I don’t know that they ever read Max Weber’s three-component theory of stratification, but even if they weren’t perusing the sociology section of their local library in their leisure time, they still manage to explain it pretty well to the layman. Jada’s anchor verse sums up exactly why he’s so beloved in the streets: “Nothin’ but the hotness whenever we drop this / Monotonous for y’all to keep hatin’ ’cause y’all never gon’ stop us.”
5. “Gov’t Cheese” Feat. Millyz, Nino Man & DeJ Loaf
A standout from Jada’s most recent album, 2020’s Ignatius, “Gov’t Cheese” depicts an older, wiser Jadakiss getting reflective about all the hard-won knowledge he’s gained from 20+ plus years in the streets and out of them. “Sneakers too tight, you had to wear ’em without soles,” he reminisces. “Sleepin’ with a sweatsuit on ’cause the house cold.” He doesn’t just bring problems, though; he also explains his solutions. “Had to open my mind for me to free it.”
4. “24 Hrs To Live” With Mase, The Lox, Black Rob & DMX
Mase’s 1997 Bad Boy Records debut Harlem World is criminally underrated and this posse cut is one of its highest highs. Asking a simple question, we get six different perspectives ranging from relatable (Jada, Styles) to absolutely unhinged (DMX). Who among us wouldn’t want to go out as fresh as Jada says he would?
3. “Time’s Up” Feat. Nate Dogg
The lead single from Kiss Of Death finds the Yonkers native eschewing clever concepts or heady themes for a straightforward, fist-clenching bar fest. Driven by a thundering, piano-centered loop devised by Scott Storch, “Time’s Up” is a showcase for some of Jada’s most memorable punchlines, including the fan-favorite: “F*ck riding the beat, n**** / I parallel park on the track.”
2. “Who Shot Ya Freestyle”
When The Lox went up against The Diplomats in a Verzuz hits battle last year, the Yonkers crew had already won handily by the time their DJ threw the instrumental to The Notorious B.I.G.’s controversial 1994 hit. Jada’s performance became the victory cigar. The response to the mixtape favorite was so immediate and powerful, the song won an official release on DSPs.
1. “We Gonna Make It” Feat. Styles P
A classic in every sense of the word, “We Gonna Make It” begins with one of the most beloved opening lines in hip-hop: “F*ck. The. Frail sh*t.” The Alchemist pulls out all the stops on the beat, which samples “My Music” by Samuel Jonathan Johnson. The instrumental has a controversial backstory as well, ending up in the hands of West Coast rapper Ras Kass after both Nas and Jay-Z passed on it, but Kiss has the most recognizable version, owing a great deal to the dynamic back-and-forth flows of Jada and his Lox bandmate Styles P. It wasn’t the first time they demonstrated this chemistry and it wasn’t the last, but for a generation of rap fans, it’s easily the best.
Uproxx’s new sneaker show, Fresh Pair, isn’t just about dope custom sneakers. It’s a deep dive into the careers, legacy, and the ambitions of its guests, reflected in wearable pieces of art that serve as both a celebration and a gift. In the premiere episode of the series, cohosts Katty Customs and Just Blaze were joined by iconic Yonkers rapper Jadakiss who was blown away by the attention to detail and deep research that went into his custom pair of Air Jordan 1s.
“This is ill man, ya’ll something else over here,” he says. “This is a mean pair, Fresh Pair made me a mean pair! I don’t know how ya’ll are going to top these… you’re going to need to make a hall or a wall of fame, these definitely going in there. Any other mean ones you make are going to be inspired somehow by these.”
Jadakiss’ custom AJ-1s tell a story of the raspy rapper’s rise from the streets to the stratosphere, while also paying tribute to the rappers who helped shaped his career and influence his unique style. Late legends Biggie and DMX are referenced on the sneaker’s heel wing logo and Jadakiss’ life spent with Styles P and Sheek Louch in The LOX is referenced at the tongue. It’s a poetic representation of a truly storied career and watching Kiss fall deeper in love with the sneaker as he unveils the details is a must-watch — if only to hear him say “this is crazy” so many times that he’s nearly breathless.
Check out the full episode above and be sure to catch the next episode of Fresh Pair on Wednesday, October 5th.
The fusion of streetwear and Hip Hop has existed since the inception of the culture. From those early days when Run-DMC was fully fitted in Adidas to Puff Daddy pushing Sean John to Kanye West dominating the fashion world with Yeezy, this merge is often seen as the very foundation of how Hip Hop is perceived by the masses.
This week, Uproxx premieres its new show Fresh Pair hosted by legendary producer Just Blaze and Katty Customs, a streetwear designer as well as sneakers restorer and customizer. Guests include The Game, T.I., Redman, EL-P, Jim Jones, Styles P, will.i.am, and Jadakiss.
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL)
On the show, Katty and Blaze sit down with these artists to talk about important moments in their careers and then based on those conversations, the hosts create a one-of-a-kind pair of kicks tailored to the artist, specifically.
During Jadakiss’s appearance, Katty asked him to name his Top 5 Voices that he likes in Hip Hop.
“This show is amazing because nobody ever asked me who I think got the Top 5, or Top 3, or any type of voices,” said Jada. “And it took me a while—that’s like, education in music, just to know the different, sonically of people’s voices… Just somebody’s voice to add on what they bring to the table.”
“Just unique voices for me, as I start learning about it, I think Guru, rest in peace, he had an ill voice,” the rapper continued. “[Method Man], you know, when the Wu came, Meth’s voice was deep and raspy and he has an ill voice. Big, with that nasal…it sounds like he’s having a hard time breathing but that’s making his cadence extra crazy. Tone Loc, gotta shout out Tone Loc. Tone Loc’s voice was ill.”
For his fifth choice, Jadakiss had to give his final pick to the clearly recognizable stylings of Nas. Check out the clip and the trailer for Fresh Pair below.
