"I'm not paying for them... size eight and half." So begins 'Sneakers' by Raekwon, a Pete Rock produced track that has that familiar feel to an old Raekwon crime joint but with some serious overtones concerning his footwear. We are treated to a character study of The Chef entirely through his affiliations and adoration of sneakers. Early confessions to being an "Adidas Freak" with a collection totaling out at a round "multi thousand pair" are the simple bragings of his opening verse. If anything these rhymes are just the declaration of some rudimentary facts, a rightful way of passage before he treats us to the real nitty gritty of it all. It is itself a topic so large that it comes as no surprise that the whole second verse is a flush with individual models and brand names and their connotations within the game. Italian lines Diadora and Elesse get a shout out along with the connoisseurial cops of retro line Patrick and non other than that 80's hip-hop footwear staple, Travel Fox. Pleasingly fellow Wu Tang Clan cornerstone, Ghostface brings his chips to the table this time about that all important moment of copping a fresh deal: "bright fat yellow Air Max's" for "20 bucks off no tax" on "Apollo Kids". That's just credit to the whole game.
Time has moved on and and with that Raekwon's taste. There is a clear argument being made that with the coming of age brand loyalty becomes more apparent. Without beats and rhymes, New Balance is the point of departure for The Chef tightening up them laces before taking us on a whistle stop tour of New York's finest sneaker spots.
Last but by no means least we might as well take a look at some of the kicks that have adorned the feat of Lex Diamonds himself:
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