In the days after this month’s Astroworld Festival tragedy, Travis Scott put out a statement in which he offered to pay for the funeral expenses for the ten people who died during the event. This came before lawsuits began to mount against Scott and Astroworld organizers, with one of the latest ones amounting to $750 million from over 125 Astroworld attendees. On Monday, it was reported that the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest victim in the tragedy, declined Scott’s offer to pay for funeral expenses. Turns out Blount’s family was not the only one to do so.
According to Rolling Stone, three additional families also denied Scott’s offer through their lawyers. Philip Corboy, who represents the families of 21-year-old friends Jacob Jurinek and Franco Patino; Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta; and Richard Mithoff, who represents the family of 14-year-old John Hilgert, each expressed distaste for Scott’s offer in separate statements.
Corboy said he held discussions with the Jurinek and Patino families about Scott’s offer and they “realized quickly that all he was trying to do was trying to lessen the public outcry on his case.” He added, “It took them each about three seconds to say ‘No, no no.’” Corboy continued, “If he’s trying to impress upon the families that he’s sincere and has concern for them and realize that funerals can be expensive, what Scott’s team did is not the way to do it.” He concluded, “You don’t get a piece of paper in the mail from a lawyer in Beverly Hills who says he represents Travis Scott. These families are raw right now; that lacks any personal touch.”
Mithoff also spoke on behalf of the Hilgerts. “It was not an offer they were going to seriously consider,” he said. “Of all the things this case is about, that’s the least of any concern. This family is set on making change and ensuring this never happens at a concert again. I find offering to pay for funerals frankly demeaning and really inappropriate to the magnitude of the tragedy that unfolded.”
Buzbee says he received a call from a local attorney but went against returning the call. “It’s bullsh*t,” he said. “If you gave a sh*t about these families, you wouldn’t have to put out a press release for everyone to see saying he’s willing to pay for a funeral.” He continued, “Let the families grieve and shut up, that’s it. When something like this happens, there’s not a whole lot someone like Travis Scott could do to assuage their pain. He says he feels sorry for them but he’s quick to say it wasn’t his fault. He’s no different than any defendant pointing fingers to someone else. They don’t want funeral expenses from him. Whatever we get from him we’re going to get through the court system.”
Later this week, Three 6 Mafia will go up against Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for another battle of Verzuz. Before that happens, Juicy J, who is one of two remaining members in the group, along with DJ Paul, spoke with Nas and radio personality Minya “Miss Info” about the rise and fall of the group. On the Spotify podcast The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop, Juicy J admitted that “drugs really broke Three 6 Mafia up.” When asked about was specific drugs caused the group’s end, Juicy J replied, “the wildest drugs.”
“From heroin to meth to cocaine, all kinds of pills,” he continued. “A lot of drugs were consumed during the times we were together. When everybody was sober and sh*t, everybody’s on the same page But when cocaine’s involved, things change. But I’m not pointing a figure at nobody.” Juicy J added that he “can’t think of nothing else” that would’ve caused the group to break up and said it was why “people wasn’t showing up in the studio… business was crazy, everything’s folding… it was the drugs.”
Juicy J recalled a story involving Lord Infamous, DJ Paul’s late brother, who was a part of the group until 2005. “I had to bust up in Lord Infamous room before and I was almost in tears,” he said. “I thought the n**** was dead at first. So I had to go get the keys, because he wouldn’t answer the phone. I was banging on his door. So I had to bust up in his room and had to pretty much beat him [with a pillow] to wake him up.”
You can listen to the full episode of Spotify’s The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop podcast here.
This past April, Kehlani came out as on an Instagram Live video. “I am gay, g-gay, gay, gay,” they later said on TikTok back then. We might learn more about this lifestyle embrace when their new album, Blue Water Road, is released at some point this winter. In fact, Kehlani has even said that the new music “feels vastly different than anything I’ve ever created before.”
The press rounds in the lead up to Blue Water Road have begun and in a cover story with beauty and style magazineByrdie, the R&B star said that the new album “talks about love and coming into gayness.” In the revealing interview, Kehlani talks about notions of beauty, motherhood, fame, writing love songs, and of course, identity. Early on in the story, Kehlani addresses pronouns and how while “she” is acceptable, “they” just feels better.
“I don’t mind when people say ‘she’ at all, but something feels really affirming when people say ‘they.” For Kehlani, using non-binary pronouns feels like an earned respect. “It feels like… you really see me.”
It’s great to see Kehlani embracing who they are and how they would like to be seen. You can read the full profile here.
Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kanye West has a new humanitarian project, and this one is a very noble cause. For a man who has been extremely obsessed with how his own houses look, it makes sense that eventually Kanye would consider the crisis of the unhoused as a serious concern. According to a report from TMZ, Kanye had a meeting with Reverend Troy Vaughn, CEO of LA Mission to talk about his ideas for supporting the community. Ye dropped by The Mission last week to donate 1,000 meals, and during that visit he sat down with Vaughn to outline his thoughts.
Kanye reportedly has a four-step plan for helping the unhoused, starting off with creating a network between all the organizations in the city that currently focus on feeding those in need. Next, he wants to use his Donda network of companies to help give access to education, jobs, and housing for those who are struggling. Next, he thinks that the weekly Sunday Service platform can be used to inspire and uplift –— which is actually a pretty good point because the mental/spiritual health of the unhoused is rarely discussed, if ever. Lastly, according to TMZ’s report Kanye wants to “partner with other groups tackling the crisis and combine their efforts with his ability to provide a bold and innovative vision for the future. Together, he believes they can eliminate the homeless situation.”
Listen, I’d take a solution for the homelessness crisis in LA over another Marilyn Manson collaboration any day, so Kudos to Yeezy for focusing on something that has a huge impact on the entire city. Check out some of his speech at the LA Mission below:
Ready for one of the best, most comprehensive hip-hop and soul music festival lineups ever? Formerly taking place at the Queen Mary Ship & Events Park in Long Beach, CA, Smokin Grooves Fest has moved to Downtown Los Angeles and the lineup is unreal.
Going down on Saturday, March 19th at LA’s State Historic Park, Smokin Grooves has Erykah Badu, Nas, and The Roots leading the way for it’s flat out spectacular lineup. Miguel, Jhene Aiko, The Internet, Flying Lotus, and Kamasi Washington are also on the festival’s top slates and also all happen to be from the Los Angeles area. But don’t be fooled, this is much more than a regional fest and is on par with the biggest and best hip-hop culture festivals around the nation.
The names on this bill from top to bottom are impressive. From the eclectic indie sounds of Toro y Moi, Little Dragon, and Hiatus Kaiyote, to a legend like composer and vibraphonist Roy Ayers, to the vital lyricism of Talib Kweli and millennial backpack hip-hop of Slum Village and Dead Prez. There’s a stellar R&B slate with Macy Gray, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, and Angie Stone, plus sneaky awesome names on the rise at the bottom of the bill like Toronto’s Charlotte Day Wilson and Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae.
Pre-sale ticketing sign-ups for this extravaganza go on sale this Friday 12/03 at 10 am PT. Any unsold tickets will be made available to the general public at 2 pm PT on the same day. Register/purchase tickets and check out the full lineup and info at https://www.smokingroovesfestival.com/.
It’s been nearly a year since Jazmine Sullivan released her comeback album Heaux Tales, which detailed her love life and self-growth with radical honesty. Not only did the LP become a fan-favorite, but it also earned Sullivan an impressive three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. Now, she’s gearing up for a two-month North American tour.
Sullivan’s 25-date tour kicks off on Valentine’s Day in Vancouver and comes to a close in late March in Chicago. Check out her 2022 The Heaux Tales Tour dates below.
02/14/2022 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
02/15/2022 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
02/17/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
02/20/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
02/22/2022 — Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre-Oakland
02/23/2022 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
02/25/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
02/26/2022 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
02/28/2022 — Denver, CO @ Summit
03/02/2022 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
03/04/2022 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
03/06/2022 — New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore New Orleans
03/08/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
03/09/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
03/12/2022 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
03/13/2022 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
03/16/2022 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues Boston
03/17/2022 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
03/20/2022 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
03/22/2022 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
03/23/2022 — Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland
03/25/2022 — Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
03/27/2022 — Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
03/29/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore Minneapolis
03/30/2022 — Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Chicago
Tickets to Sullivan’s The Heaux Tales Tour go on sale 12/3 at 10 a.m. local time. Get them here.
The legendary designer Virgil Abloh passed away over the weekend at the far-too-young age of 41, ending a private battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Abloh’s mark on streetwear and modern fashion is undeniable and will be forever felt, but before he solidified himself as certified streetwear royalty, long before he landed the job as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, before Off-White, and the global DJ Sets, he was just a kid sketching shoes in his spare time.
That’s important to remember. Abloh wasn’t born into the house of Gucci. He had an ambition that truly knew no bounds and a vision that could not be denied. He took those early sneaker sketches and sent them to Nike. Nothing came of them but that didn’t slow him down for even a beat. By 2017, after a brief stint in architecture, an internship in Rome at Fendi, and the successful launch of his own label, Abloh’s swoosh dreams became a reality when he designed, “The Ten,” a collection that would go down in history as the greatest sneaker collaboration of all time.
That’s not hyperbole, ask any sneakerhead, they’ll tell you: nothing beats The Ten. Abloh would follow up that historic run by producing a fleet of fifty Nike Dunks a few years later. His was truly an insatiable spirit for creation.
Many publications make note of Abloh’s time studying architecture like it’s some sort of footnote in his career, but the truth is Abloh never stopped being an architect. Through his design work — which, in addition to sneakers, included album covers, commissioned art pieces, and more — he always treated whatever he was approaching as more than an object, everything, even a water bottle, was a monument. You and I look at a Jordan 1 and see a sneaker, Abloh saw a skyscraper of possibilities. Abloh’s best design moments catch your eye, spark conversations, and create trends. It’s a trifecta that even the most well-respected designers (besides Abloh’s friend and collaborator Ye) can’t lay claim to.
“What we’re talking about here is larger than sneakers, it’s larger than design culture… It’s nothing short of state-of-the-art design,” Abloh said when he first debuted “The Ten.” “To me, they are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa. You can debate it all you want, but they mean something. And that’s what’s important.”
Ultimately, Abloh’s greatest contribution to the world of streetwear wasn’t a specific sneaker, or a brand, or any single collaboration. It was his unmatched ability to recognize and what sneakerheads all around the world know inside their bones: that a pair of fire Jordans aren’t just shoes, they’re modern-day canvases. A piece of wearable contemporary art to be collected, coveted, cared for, loved, and inspired by.
To celebrate Abloh’s vision and philosophy, we’ve collected the late designer’s 30 best contributions to the world of sneakers. This isn’t a ranking. Instead, we’ve presented the sneakers here as the truly astounding body of work that they always will be, even as Abloh has left a generation of designers to forge their own path without his guiding hand. His influence will always be felt, like the great masters before him that he revered but never hesitated to push past. Abloh viewed sneakers like they were the Mona Lisa, and we’ll always remember him like he was our Da Vinci.
Off-White Nike Air Max 90 ‘The Ten,’ 2017
Nike
We’re kicking the list off with Abloh’s take on the Air Max 90. The Ten dropped in two sets of five, dubbed “Revealing” and “Ghosting” with the Air Max 90 leading the pack and exceeding expectations. With this design, Abloh deemphasized Tinker Hatfield’s original look, breaking the sneaker down to its silhouette and paneling with a few minimalist accents that help the design feel fresh.
With a pristine white leather upper, an oversized white Swoosh, and grey suede overlays atop an icy blue midsole, and yes, zip ties, The Ten’s Air Max 90 almost looks like it should be in a museum.
Off-White Nike Air Presto ‘The Ten,’ 2017
The Ten
You’ll find The Ten’s Air Presto topping a lot of lists chronicling Abloh’s greatest designs and for good reason. For the Air Presto, Abloh once again broke down the sneaker to its skeleton, stripping away the sleek layers of the original design for a lightweight mesh upper with a bone-like lace cage. Even four years later, they just look so damn cool. By 2021s standards, the idea of deconstruction in sneakers has been done to death, but at the time of its release, this kick was truly revolutionary.
Off-White Nike Air VaporMax ‘The Ten,’ 2017
The Ten
Off-White has dropped two other Nike Air VaporMax sneakers since the original black pair from The Ten, but nothing matches these. This is simply one of the best VaporMax colorways and designs of all time.
Abloh’s VaporMax features a Flyknit upper with a bright white oversized swoosh stitched on, atop a blacked-out VaporMax sole that gives off heavy Darth Vader vibes. Abloh is a Star Wars head, so we’re almost certain that’s what this big (very cool) nerd was going for.
Off-White Nike Air Jordan 1 ‘The Ten’ 2017
The Ten
C’mon, you knew you were going to come across this pair. It’s easily the most recognizable sneaker Virgil Abloh has ever designed. This is the shoe that Abloh-haters use to discredit his craft and that’s probably because it includes every cringey Abloh trademark, from the “Air” quotation marks, the visible stitching on the swoosh, the Beaverton, Oregon production stamp. Ugh, right?
It isn’t even an original colorway, borrowing the original “Chicago” makeup, which is legendary unto itself. Does this dude even actually design anything? But look closer and you’ll see that this is how Abloh infuses the spirit of hip-hop into his design work, and why it catches hold with heads worldwide. Abloh is sampling a piece of sneaker history and recontextualizing it for a modern sensibility. Is Drake’s “Nice for What” any less of a great song because it owes a debt to Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” which itself sampled “Can It Be All So Simple” by the Wu-Tang Clan, which draws from “The Way We Were/Try To Remember” by Gladys Knight & The Pips?
Nope — that’s what art does. Borrows, remixes, and makes the old new again. That’s where Abloh excelled.
Off-White Nike Blazer ‘The Ten,’ 2017
Nike
We have Virgil Abloh to thank for breathing new life into Nike’s Blazer sneaker which, prior to 2017, was a seriously overlooked shoe. Nowadays, even Nike is showing the Blazer constant love, releasing vintage colorways on a yearly basis. For The Ten’s Blazer, the upper is dressed in white leather with a descending swoosh that dives into an off-white midsole. The inner side of the sneaker features the Beaverton, Oregon production stamp, which is a call back to where the original design was crafted.
Off-White Nike Air Force 1 ‘The Ten,’ 2017
Nike
While Abloh’s “Revealing” set from The Ten shed away layers to reveal the inner workings of these iconic silhouettes, for his “Ghosting” set, Abloh opened a window, dressing each sneaker in a translucent upper, another trend that has become pervasive since the designer popularized it.
Abloh’s Air Force 1 is probably the most extreme design out of the “Ghosting” collection, it’s so broken down that it almost looks like it’s still midway through production. If you don’t like deconstructed sneakers, you probably won’t like these, though it’s pretty hard to mess up the Air Force 1.
Off-White Nike Hyperdunk ‘The Ten,’ 2017
Nike
The Ten’s Hyperdunk was a way for Abloh to prove that he wasn’t just about style over substance. Through and through, this Hyperdunk is a court-performance sneaker, despite its high-fashion appearance. A breathable FlyKnit upper keeps players light on their feet, with an added midfoot strap for extra support atop a bouncy React midsole. The hype for The Ten was so great that you’d have to be insane to actually wear these on the court, but we like to spend some time imagining what that might look like every time we see them.
Off-White Nike Zoom Fly ‘The Ten,’ 2018
Nike
This pair truly comes alive with your sock game, making the Zoom Fly one of the most visually varied sneakers Off-White and Nike have ever made, and giving it a slight edge over the Tulip Pink — which are a little harder to rock.
Off-White Nike Air Max 97 ‘The Ten,’ 2017
Nike
Virgil Abloh’s Air Max 97 is pretty interesting in that its design changes the way you normally see the Air Max 97. Usually known for its aerodynamic waves, Abloh instead obscures those eye-leading lines beneath a translucent upper, with a large, long swoosh in place of the sneaker’s usual tiny swoosh — which works to highlight the sneaker’s aerodynamic shape.
This very minor change really manages to give the Air Max 97 a totally unique look within its own history. It’s proof that small changes can equal out to really radical results.
Off-White Chuck 70, The Ten 2017
Nike
Released as the final piece of “The Ten,” Abloh’s take on the legendary Chuck Taylor All-Star sees the designer take on yet another legendary design. But unlike the AJ-1, which leaned on the sneaker’s heritage by utilizing one of its most recognizable colorways, this take on the Chuck 70 ignores the past and attempts to contextualize the sneaker for the modern age.
Gone are all the recognizable markers of the Chuck 70, that iconic star label is obfuscated under a ghostly translucent upper, the familiar color patterns are replaced with a monochromatic design, that signature toe cap is rendered icy and cold. This release sees Abloh paying tribute to the foundation of this great sneaker, no doubt a call back to his days in architecture.
Off-White Nike Air Force 1 ComplexCon, 2017
StockX
We’re finally out of The Ten territory with this ComplexCon exclusive. If The Ten’s AF-1 was a little too stripped back for your liking, Abloh released a design that played things pretty close to the original with his second Air Force 1. Featuring a clean all-white leather upper, the ComplexCon sneaker sports a metallic swoosh with exposed stitching, and orange branding tags on the exposed foam tongue and Nike check.
In terms of moving the AF-1 forward, this sneaker doesn’t do too much to change the game — but it’s quite the sight regardless. Unfortunately, giving this sneaker’s exclusive status, there aren’t many pairs out there floating around.
Off-White Air Jordan 1 White, 2018
StockX
It won’t come as a surprise to find out that the second Off-White Jordan 1 was actually Abloh’s original idea for the sneaker’s entry in The Ten, as its all-white upper with off-white overlays looks a lot more visually consistent with the rest of the collection. But then, it’s hard to blame Abloh for taking a crack at the OG Chicago colorway.
It might be a controversial opinion, but we dig these over the original pair from The Ten. Easily. That pop of orange just works.
Off White Nike Air Jordan 1 UNC, 2018
StockX
Naturally, you’re going to find a lot of Air Jordan 1s on this list and while we tried to avoid too many doubles, Abloh has a particular talent for understanding what makes the Air Jordan 1 so great. Featuring a powder blue paneled upper with white accents and contrasting orange stitching, the UNC continues Abloh’s practice of taking the absolute best
Air Jordan 1 colorways — in this case, the Michael Jordan University of North Carolina Blue — and giving them a modern revamp.
Off-White x MoMa x Nike Air Force 1, 2018
Nike
We don’t know why Virgil Abloh insists on making his Air Force 1s — probably one of Nike’s most popular silhouettes — the most exclusive Off-White and Nike link up, but with the instant sell-out of the AF-1 from The Ten, the hard to find ComplexCon exclusive, and this three-way collaboration between Nike, Off-White, and the Museum of Modern Art, AF-1s designed by Abloh is a rare find.
This 2018 release is essentially identical to the ComplexCon exclusive, only this time it’s dressed in black.
Off-White Nike Air Presto White, 2018
Nike
The dominant color palette of The Ten was white, which made the black upper Air Presto a standout amongst the collection. But plenty of people in the sneaker world wished the Presto adopted the same translucent colorway enjoyed by the rest of The Ten. Those people had their wish granted in 2018 when Abloh finally dropped a white iteration of the Presto.
With gentle accents of orange and red, the white Presto presents the design in a cleaner futuristic light than the more worn and gritty Presto found in The Ten.
Off-White Nike Blazer Hallow’s Eve, 2018
Nike
Released for the Halloween season, Abloh’s All Hallow’s Eve colorway feels more targeted toward Thanksgiving than All Hallows Eve itself, but we’ll try not to get too hung up on that fact. Featuring an orange-toned tan upper with a deep-diving wrap-around pumpkin swoosh, the Blazer All Hallow’s Eve is the best Nike Blazer Off-White has ever put out.
If this didn’t have the teal swoosh tag and the “Shoelaces” text, you might even be able to fool a staunch Abloh hater into admitting that these are pretty dope.
Off-White Nike Blazer Grim Reaper, 2018
Goat/Nike
See, now this sneaker should’ve been given the “All Hallow’s Eve” name! Oh well, the Grim Reaper differs from the other Nike Blazer Off-White silhouettes in its use of a translucent black panel along the upper coupled with a bright white wrap-around swoosh.
It’s hard to not love this sleek pair, though it does feel like a step down in general creativity from the All Hallow’s Eve.
Off-White Nike Air Max 97 Serena. 2018
Nike
Ahead of Serena Williams’s opening match at the 2018 US open, Abloh dropped a few silhouettes that bear the tennis legend’s name — the best of which was the Air Max 97 Serena. Ditching the translucent sheath obscuring the 97’s wavy lines, the Serena features a soft pink-toned upper with a pink, purple, and gold gradient midsole, a yellow tab, and an oversized swoosh.
Off-White Nike Blazer Serena Queen, 2018
GOAT
There are a lot of great Off-White Nike Blazers, they’ve pretty much all made the list, but none feel more underrated than this pair designed with tennis legend Serena Williams in mind. Featuring a hot pink to platinum midsole with an oversized wraparound Swoosh over a wolf grey upper, the Serena Queen Blazer looks like a sneaker that exists with its own permanent blacklight hovering over it.
Off-White Nike Air Force 1 MCA, 2019
Nike
It’s pretty clear that while Abloh might’ve had a knack for producing fire colorways of the Air Jordan 1, it’s the AF-1 that he truly considered a masterpiece. Why else would he drop another exclusive fine art Air Force 1 with the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art? This pair is dressed in a beautiful University Blue all leather upper with a metallic silver swoosh.
These are so beautiful that a part of us absolutely hates the idea of someone wearing them.
Off-White Nike Air Max 90 Desert Ore, 2019
StockX
The Off-White Air Max 90 Desert Ores represent a transition in design styles for Abloh, featuring touchstones from his work immediately proceeding The Ten to the more modern Off-White Nikes we see today.
Featuring a dark beige upper with a bright mango swoosh, the Desert Ores look a bit like what we imagine a Yeezy and Off-White link up might look like — thanks to its dusty earthy appearance.
Off-White Nike Dunk Low Pine Green, 2019
Nike
Before Abloh would go on to release a 50 sneaker collection consisting solely of the low-top Nike Dunk, he was prepping himself for that ambitious project in 2019 by dropping this Pine Green take on the design. Featuring a radical inclusion to the original design by way of a zig-zagging lacing system, this design laid the groundwork for Abloh’s most ambitious Nike project.
Off-White Nike Dunk Low University Red, 2019
Nike
Released alongside the Pine Green colorway, this University Red edition was made in tribute to Nike original 1985 College Colors program which introduced the world to seven different, but legendary, Nike Dunk colorways. It’s an improvement over the Pine Green, that Wolf Grey causes such an eye-catching contrast to the bright red panels and laces.
Off-White Nike Air Jordan V Muslin, 2020
Nike
It’s a little hard to believe there aren’t more Air Jordan Vs by Abloh. An often overlooked sneaker in the Jordan brand line, the V Muslins represented a new aesthetic era for the designer. Sure, he was still using translucent textiles and breaking the sneakers down to their rough interiors, but now he was doing it in a much more refined way. While it doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as anything from The Ten, we appreciated Abloh’s commitment to always pushing his designs forward and not just cashing in on the trends he made popular.
Off-White Nike Air Jordan IV Sail, 2020
Nike
Released as a women’s size exclusive — much to the dismay of big-footed sneakerheads — this Air Jordan 4 features a full-grain leather and grid mesh upper, with clear textiles, air cushioning, exposed foam, and a totally monochromatic makeup.
These sneakers were an instant sell-out and are currently fetching prices well above $1000 on the aftermarket, making them the most beloved Off-White Nike’s since The Ten era. In a dark year, they were a bright reminder that even three years into their extended collaboration, Off-White and Nike were a natural matchup.
Off-White Air Jordan V Sail, 2020
GOAT
For Abloh’s second AJ-V colorway, he adopted a colorway that paid homage to the legendary Fire Red Jordan V while retaining his translucent additions to the design. Featuring a sail textile mesh upper with 3M reflective details and a translucent outsole the Off-White Jordan V Sail is equal parts traditional and futuristic, which feels more like a trademark of Abloh’s overall design than superficial details like Helvetica branding and zip-ties.
Off-White Nike Air Force 1 Lemonade 2021
Nike
Debuted at the pre-game tunnel at this year’s NBA All-Star Game by LeBron James, the Lemonade sees Abloh following the template laid out by his previous Air Force 1 collaborations, this time dipping the sneaker in an impossible to ignore mustard yellow colorway.
Rounding out the design is a silver Swoosh outlined with contrasting stitching, with an exposed foam tongue, and a woven tag. Abloh always hit the AF-1 with the boldest colorway choices.
Off-White Nike Dunk Low Lot 1/50, 2021
Flight Club
This year saw Abloh embark on a journey that would serve as an official follow-up to the Ten, a fifty sneaker collection focused on a singular silhouette — the Nike Dunk. Abloh transformed the Dunk with the inclusion of Flywire laces that zig-zag across a crisp white upper with an exposed foam tongue, Helvetica branding, a metallic silver swoosh, and a yellow midsole.
It was a design inspiring enough that Abloh saw fit to reiterate on it forty-nine more times. A testament to his restless work ethic.
Off-White Nike Dunk Low Lot 50/50, 2021
GOAT
Bookending the fifty sneaker collection is this moody blacked-out version of the Dunk Low. Featuring an all-black canvas upper with leather paneling, purple accents, and a metallic swoosh, this is a special pair in the collection and stands in stark contrast to the 49 proceeding colorways.
Abloh kept color to a minimum throughout the Dunk collection, restricting pops of color to the Flywire laces and keeping the sneaker primarily dressed in white and grey tones, for the final pair he threw that idea out the window. When you look at the entirety of the fifty Dunk collection, you realize the whole thing is one big color gradient. Abloh was always one to paint a bigger picture
Off-White Nike Air Jordan II Low, 2021
Nike
Closing out our list of Virgil Abloh’s greatest sneaker designs is the final Off-White Nike sneaker to be released in Abloh’s lifetime, the Off-White Air Jordan II. The Air Jordan II has for some time been an underrated silhouette in the lineage of early Jordans, the always ambitious Abloh attempted to rewrite history and overhaul the silhouette’s image in the cultural zeitgeist not by radically reimagining it, but by paying tribute to its history.
The sneaker’s design is an attempt to recreate the natural aging process of a vintage pair of Jordan IIs and features an artificially decaying midsole that is patched over with translucent materials, and Jordan’s signature adorning each pair, a call back to Jordan’s practice of signing and giving out his shoes to kids at Bulls games.
It’s not a radical departure from the original, instead, it presents the shoe not simply as a design, but as an artifact of time, like a great skyscraper designed by the geniuses of a bygone era made more beautiful with age. There is that connection to architecture again, it stands as one of Abloh’s best and most subtle reimaginings and shows just how deeply he cared about what came before, even as he always forged ahead.
Shan has always dreamed of dancing since they were little, even when it wasn’t possible for them. As someone diagnosed with the chronic pain disorder Fibromyalgia at a young age, Shan was told that they wouldn’t be able to do much physically as they got older. But as they started to dance, Shan learned that with the help of determination and their community, nothing could hold them back.
For Uproxx’s New Normalists series presented by Instagram, Shan explains how their love for dance has helped them stay more in touch with themselves. Through mastering different choreography, Shan started to become more connected with their body and with what dance meant to their efforts to live with Fibromyalgia. “I feel so much and I feel so intensely and I think dance was the only thing that I could utilize to get that energy and anger and sadness out because it would have destroyed me otherwise quite honestly,” they said.
While they have to spend more time warming up before practicing a routine, Shan has come to understand that dance is more than simply moving your body — it’s about “healing and bringing people together.” Shan stays connected to the dance world through Instagram. By sharing their routines and connecting with other disabled dancers on the platform, Shan continues to stay inspired spread awareness about the importance of accessibility. “Accessibility is really important in discussing ableism in dance and how accessibility looks different for every single person,” they said. “You don’t have to be a professional dancer and go to crazy classes and do all these moves. Everyone functions differently and can bring different things to the table.”
Watch Shan share their passion for dance above and find more of Uproxx’s New Normalists series here.
Earlier this year Megan Thee Stallion embarked on a brand partnership with Cash App with the purpose of teaching investing and financial literacy for fans. In addition to giving away $1 million in Cash App stock, Meg also starred in a series of educational videos teaching fans about such subjects as NFTs and cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. However, it seems she wasn’t content with just making those moves — or with just having one co-branded merch line with Popeyes — as she has released a new clothing collection in collaboration with Cash App, with the proceeds going to charity.
The Hot Girl Enterprise collection is available on shop.cash.app and includes a t-shirt, shorts, and a bucket hat, all in warm weather-friendly colors that’ll come in handy when Hot Girl Summer rolls back around. Here’s a photo of Meg wearing the shirt and shorts:
Cash App
In a press release, the Houston rapper said she was “really proud of this collection,” because “not only did we create a fierce and stylish look for my Hotties, but we’re also giving back to communities in need in a meaningful way.” All proceeds will be donated to Houston charities focusing on education, health, and housing. You can check out the collection here.
The rapper is currently on tour in support of her recent music. She even surprised fans at a BTS show over the weekend to perform her remix of their No. 1 track “Butter.” While she was previously set to return to her home state of Texas to play a show in Houston, the rapper has decided to forgo the show “out of respect” to the Astroworld victims.
“Out of respect for the lives lost in Houston earlier this month, I have decided to cancel my show at 713 Music Hall on Dec 3. Houston is still healing and it’s important that our community be given the appropriate time to grieve. My heart goes out to all the families that are suffering during this difficult time.”
