While a pair of rare sneakers might seem to be a strange thing to go to war over, for Wale, they represent the difference between authenticity and appropriation. That’s the theme of his Folarin II track “Tiffany Nikes,” which turns the Diamond Supply Co. collaboration with Nike into a metaphor for the sort of cultural touchstones that get hijacked by outsiders looking to profit from hip-hop without putting in the time or appreciation to earn their spot within it.
Fittingly, the video is shot inside the Diamond Supply Co. store on Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, where Wale, a massive sneakerhead from the days before apps and blogs, shows off the titular Tiffany Dunks. However, he’s also willing to change with the times; the video also doubles as a promotion for the NTWRK app, a “mobile-first video shopping platform” that blends webshows (like the ones on Snapchat and Instagram) with advertising and a marketplace similar to StockX. In addition, Wale and NTWRK are giving away a pair of Tiffany Nikes for $1 to encourage fans to sign up for the app for a chance to win.
Watch Wale’s “Tiffany Nikes” video above and catch Wale live as he wraps up his Under A Blue Moon Tour this week.
Folarin II is out now via Warner Records. Get it here.
Wale is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.