Lil Kim told her audience at the Apollo Theater last month that she’s “so proud” of Lola Brooke before the two New York rappers performed Brooke’s “Don’t Play With It” together. Timberland has noticed Brooke’s potential, too.
The iconic brand shared its Hip-Hop Royalty Boot last week in honor of the 50th anniversaries of both hip-hop and Timberland. Brooke is the star of the accompanying 30-second campaign.
“The Original Timberland® Boot and Hip Hop were born in 1973 — that’s 50 years of an iconic combination,” Timberland captioned a joint Instagram post with Brooke. “Hip Hop has impacted our brand enormously over the past five decades, so we’re proud to present Brooklyn MC, @lola.brooke, who is one of the voices carrying Hip Hop into the next 50 years, in the Timberland® Hip Hop Royalty Boot.”
In the video, Brooke narrates, “This is not a boot. This is how we thrive. It’s truth in living color, where the art comes alive. This is the cypher circling ’round the globe. Every gender, every nation adding to the flow. No limits to the vision. We defy definition. This is not a boot. It’s 50 years of ambition.”
“Since a little girl, I’ve been saying that I wanted to be this entertainer,” the Brooklyn native said. “Sometimes you get discouraged because when you don’t receive the good feedback [that you wanted]. It just means that you got to keep working.”
She continued, “[There are] a lot of people that you going up against that want that same spotlight, so regardless if you’re not in competition with everybody else, the people will make you in competition with everybody else. So you got to find a way of being different so that you won’t get caught up in the drama and still win.”
Brooke is racking up more wins as the opener on A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Me Vs. Myself Tour. See the remaining dates here.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After an already-record year for Rihanna, between playing the Super Bowl halftime show and announcing that she’s having another child with ASAP Rocky, it seems she still has a lot more surprises in store. Today (March 1), Puma teased that the singer’s Fenty x Puma collaboration will be making a return — through a straight-to-the-point message.
“She’s back,” Puma’s social media post read, adding, “Coming soon.”
Back in 2014, Rihanna was appointed by Puma as their Women’s Training Ambassador and Women’s Creative Director.
“It’s great to find a brand that celebrates strength and individuality,” Rihanna said back in 2014 (as Complex notes). “I couldn’t think of a more perfect partner to collaborate with as a creative director. I’m excited for you to see what Puma and I come up with.”
A few years later, she went on to appear on the runway at the Fenty Puma 2016 fashion show, in support of the popular partnership. The collection previously included sneakers, fur slides, backpacks, jackets, bodysuits, and more.
While there is not much else on information regarding Fenty x Puma’s return, fans can still purchase past items on resale spots like The Real Real and other sites. They can also expect to see Rihanna perform at the Oscars on March 12.
Nike is commemorating 50 years of hip-hop in a very special way: Sneaker News has revealed that Nike is dropping a special set of Air Force 1 Lows, in honor of the beloved genre’s 50th anniversary.
These special Air Force 1s will come with white shoes bedecked with a silver logo. On the bottom will be a gray heel and sole, with a small, off-white layer between the bottom and the shoe. On the tongue is a small label reading “Nike: 50 Years Of Hip-Hop,” and inside the shoe will be gray, with the Nike Classics Air Force 1 logo.
Nike
Additionally, Nike will also release a special black and gray hip-hop edition of their Dunk Highs.
Nike
This year is gearing up to be a special one in the realm of hip-hop.
Earlier this month, the Grammys commemorated 50 years of hip-hop with an all-encompassing performance featuring artists from various eras, including Queen Latifah, Too Short, and GloRilla. Black Thought also released a “Love Letter To Hip-Hop” in the form of a song and mini-documentary. Last year, DJ Premier spoke with us about how he views the past, present and future of hip-hop.
MSCHF, which is Mischief without the vowels, is an art collective based out of New York City. The collective has a long-standing history of trolling consumer culture, specifically by selling consumer goods. Known for such releases as the shoe collaboration with Lil Nas X, and the Nike Satan Shoes. Which allegedly were made with real human blood. As well as Jimmy Fallon’s Gobstomper sneakers last summer, which were, “designed to be destroyed.” A few months later, they put out a medical boot. Why? The project was described as an homage to the fact that “industries with little to no regard for aesthetics designing objects for utilitarian purposes churn out bangers like no one else.”
To add to their long line of consumer products for consumerism’s sake they have released items such as a MSCHF defibrillator “to fix your literal broken heart.” As well as a collection of AI-generated foot pics. With the tagline “this foot does not exist.” The collective has even gone so far as to have made Birkenstocks out of Birkin Bags, sold a box of cereal containing one big Fruit Loop, and created an ATM leaderboard that tracks and ranks the checking account balance of anyone who uses it. As of December 2022, Diplo was No. 1 with $3,004,913.06.
The Big Red Boots Are Unveiled
Image via MSCHF
On February 16th, the brand released its latest product. A shoe destined to go viral: MSCHF’s big red boots, aptly named the Big Red Boot. They are made of TPU rubber and an EVA mid-outsole and take design cues from a video game. A press release for the shoe read, “Cartoonishness is an abstraction that frees us from the constraints of reality,” the release continued, “If you kick someone in these boots, they go boing!” The artist collective known for its subversive creations, stated, “Big red boots are really not shaped like feet, but they are extremely shaped like boots.”
Each boot weighs about three and a half pounds bringing the total weight for the pair to a whopping seven pounds. Even more astounding than the weight of the boots, was the rollout of the shoes. Leading up to New York Fashion Week, they were spotted everywhere among a multitude of celebrities. From Instagram models and TikTok grandpas to the Barclays center during Coi Leray’s halftime show. Photos of artist Diplo emerged wearing the Big Red Boots at a Knicks game. They were even spotted on WWE’s Seth Rollins, as he kicked another wrestler in the face while wearing the Big Red Boots. Basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore them to the arena before a game and even Janelle Monae wore them to shoot hoops.
Once NYFW began, the boots became the new “it” accessory. Not surprisingly of course. Brands typically give celebrities and models articles of specific clothing and/or accessories to wear, as a marketing technique. MSCHF was no different with their Big Red Boots. They were spotted by celebrities and street style stars all over Fashion Week. Street-style photographer Phil Oh captured them on various stars. American singer/songwriter Dorian Electra styled them with a graphic coat, and mini skirt to fully show the shoes and donned a matching beret. Model Sarah Snyder paired the boots with a glossy red skirt and white tights; TikTok star and model Wisdom Kaye decided to style them with athletic shorts. No matter how they were worn the statement boots were styled to be the focal point.
Though the boots are rather unusual and even more impractical to wear, it’s been quite interesting to see how quickly the world was taken by storm by them. Upon being released on the 16th of February, the Big Red Boots were sold out in minutes. Leading to the site crashing shortly thereafter. Upon selling out, they were then listed on resale sites ranging between $1,200 and $1,500. Almost quadruple the original selling price of $350. The debate on the shoes has been as interesting as the shoes themselves. Some say the brand, and specifically the boots, are a social experiment–slash–experiential art project. While many others still have said the real art is the whole spectacle of releasing such a shoe. The reaction to the boots, the reaction to that reaction, the realization that it’s not just about boots, and the simultaneous truth that they are, in fact, just boots.
MSCHF as a collective seems to continuously roll out products that raise eyebrows. They have an interesting and complex understanding of how consumerism and over-saturation seemingly go hand in hand these days. This was made overtly apparent in the case of the Big Red Boots. While the MSCHF may appear cartoonish, the art collective is entirely serious about its release. In an interview with the New York Times, they rejected the idea that the boots were a joke. “It’s not a satire,” MSCHF said in a statement to The New York Times, after declining to be interviewed. “But what’s interesting is that we’re at a moment in time where it doesn’t have to be.”
Kanye West and Adidas have finally reached a settlement to sell the rest of the remaining $500 million in Yeezy sneaker inventory. The footwear giant terminated its partnership with West this past October following his anti-Semitic comments and the several antics that followed — including sitting down with InfoWars host Alex Jones to chat about his admiration for Hitler and Nazism.
According to reports, Adidas and the controversial rapper will sell the remaining sneaker inventory this year. The new contract will focus solely on selling the rapper’s existing merchandise and will not include any new designs or apparel from his clothing line.
The settlement comes off the heels of Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden revealing that the athletic brand was expected to take a nearly $1 billion hit since terminating their partnership.
“The numbers speak for themselves. We are currently not performing the way we should,” Gulden said before mentioning that 2023 would be a “year of transition” for the company.
He continued, “We will put full focus on the consumer, our athletes, our retail partners, and our Adidas employees. Together, we will work on creating brand heat, improve our product engine, better serve our distribution. and assure that Adidas is a great and fun place to work. Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful: A great brand, great people, fantastic partners, and a global infrastructure second to none.”
“In middle school, the public school I went to in PG County, we had to wear uniforms. It was a white shirt, khaki pants, and all-black sneakers, so I always rocked the Puma suedes,” Cordae told Nice Kicks. “It’s been a full-circle moment.”
The Grammy-nominated rapper continued, “I like things to be organic and natural. All the extracurricular stuff they do for communities across the globe is tight. Even though they work with amazing artists, it wasn’t based on past work with artists but on how our relationship has been — a collaborative, cooperative thing. They gave me a lot of creative control and let me bring some of my friends, it turned out dope.”
Much like his parents, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s son is well on his way to becoming a “Fashion Killa.” The young one’s mother has been designing her own Fenty products and putting together show-stopping outfits for years. His father is also a well-known style icon and has never been one to shy away from mixing women’s clothing into his wardrobe. In fact, he even once described wearing pieces intended for the opposite sex as “punk.”
NEWRihanna and A$AP Rocky depart Pastis Restaurant on January 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)
At the same time, the “Rude Boy” hitmaker’s looks – although often sexy in nature – incorporate masculine pieces like graphic tees, jerseys, and baggy pants frequently. Their little one is just 9 months old. Still, they’re already passing off everything they know about looking fly to him (talk about generational wealth!). During her recent interview with British Vogue, Rih was candid about her plans for dressing her baby.
“One of my favourite outfits he has is a miniature version of one of Rocky’s,” she explained. She was referencing a tartan kilt and ripped jeans that her partner previously wore on the cover of GQ. “I like to dress him in things that don’t look like baby clothes. I like to push it.”
When purchasing pieces for the baby, Rihanna doesn’t limit herself to the typical blue colour scheme for boys. “I put him in floral stuff, I put him in hot pink, I love that,” she gushed to the outlet. “I think that fluidity in fashion is best, I always shop in the men’s department, you know.”
Since she began sharing photos of him last December, Rihanna’s little one has been the talk of the town. Of course, we still don’t know his name. However, we are certain that he’ll make an excellent big brother in just a few months’ time. At this time, the only thing fans are more desperate for than updates on her offspring is information on her next album.
The 34-year-old hasn’t blessed our ears since 2016’s ANTI – apart from her recent work on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. It remains unclear exactly what RiRi has in store for her next project, or when we’ll see it land. She previously said it would be “ridiculous” for her not to drop in 2023, however, so chances are good we’ll be satisfied before the year is up. Read more about that here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.
The Cardi B and Offset McDonald’s meal is upon us and you know what that means: exclusive, co-branded merch. This time around, it looks like the Golden Arches has decided to keep things simple with easy-to-manufacture apparel like T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and shorts. It appears that lessons were learned from the supply chain debacle with J Balvin’s more out-there options, but you do kind of wish Cardi and Set got the chance to go as crazy as Travis Scott did — if only to see what they’d come up with.
As it is, the options continue the lovey-dovey vibe of the overall concept; the T-shirts say goofy things like “nice buns,” the hoodies bear profiles of Cardi and Set saluting each other with sandwiches and McD’s “I’m lovin’ it” catchphrase, and the shorts are suitably cheek-baring for lounging around the house, as the couple can often be seen doing on social media. All in all, a 7/10 for the collection. It’s solid but you really do miss oddball add-ons like throw rugs, ashtrays, and chicken McNugget body pillows (bring them back, Mickey Ds!)
By all reports, the Cardi B And Offset Meal is selling well, and Cardi’s spent the past few days reposting fans’ pics of the meal — although she did take a break to show off some of her own photos from the couple’s Valentine’s vacation.
You can check out Cardi and Set’s McDonald’s merch here.
Given the nature of the cover photoshoot and her newly-revealed second pregnancy that she debuted during her performance, Rihanna also spoke about her pregnancy. Particularly, about how she planned her outfits for it — and the struggles afterwards.
For those who remember, her and Rocky revealed the first pregnancy news with a fashion-forward photoshoot last January. She wore a pink puffer jacket that was unbuttoned and a ton of fancy jewels on a necklace.
Rihanna is pregnant! Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child together. Photographed by Miles Diggs. pic.twitter.com/4toQb9iQhw
“Dressing for pregnancy was such a piece of cake,” Rihanna said. “But dressing in postpartum, what the f*ck do you do? The week that I came home from the hospital — that was nothing but sweats and hoodies. But the weeks after that, you don’t know what to put on. Everything is too small or too big. You kind of just gotta wait it out otherwise you end up buying so many clothes you’re not going to use. Well, unless you get pregnant again.”
And, given that this cover story was conducted and written before Rihanna’s official new baby announcement, it seems this was just another teaser.
Virgil, who founded the streetwear brand Off-White in 2013 and worked heavily with Kanye West in the early ’10s, was the first African-American to be artistic director at a French luxury brand after joining Louis Vuitton in 2018. He was also a relatively successful DJ and cover art designer, marking the overlap in music and fashion.
Pharrell would offer a natural extension of that overlap; while he got his start in music as one-half of the superstar production duo The Neptunes, he went on to have a tremendous influence in the world of fashion thanks to his collaborations with brands like Adidas and Bape and his work with his own brands BBC and Ice Cream.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the company that runs Louis Vuitton (along with a bunch of other luxury brands, as you can probably tell by its title), is likely looking to take advantage of that cultural cachet, continuing what Abloh started in embracing streetwear and the two musicians’ more avant-garde approach to fashion.
