Black Fandom Podcast

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Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweithio'n fawr iawn. Helo i bawb, welcome to Soul Searching, a podcast exploring the complex intersection of black sneaker fandom, fashion, consumer trends, and broader cultural dynamics. I'm your host, Iakim Samson, a long-time sneaker enthusiast with a passion for studying how streetwear and kicks have become big businesses and a major influence in today's culture. In the world of sneakers, few forces are driving more trends than the vibrant culture fueled by black artists, athletes, influencers, and innovators. The so-called black sneaker community represents a multi-billion dollar market sector intertwined with music, sports, tech, and fashion industries. Today we'll dive into how key tastemakers, dealers, designers, and everyday fans directly shift the culture, create buzz for brands, and shape wider style norms. But there are also some complex social dynamics around identity, representation, commercialization, and inequality. We'll have real talk about topics like gentrification in the sneaker world, problematic brand policies, generational divides on what's cool, class issues, and more. Do these beloved consumer products uplift diverse voices or exploit them? In the age of social media hype bubbles, mass collaborations, and sneaker reselling becoming big business, we'll explore all sides. From the allures of copying a pair and rocking exclusive drops to bigger issues of brands tapping black creativity for billion dollar campaigns, yet grappling with diversity. There's a complex soul-searching journey ahead, hence the name. We'll lace up to follow where it leads, and I hope you'll join me and enjoy what I have to say. Sneaker culture has deep roots within black American communities, with origins tracing back over a century. As early as the 1920s, Converse, Chuck Taylors, and Jack Purcell sneakers gained traction among black youth seeking durable, affordable footwear for sports and everyday wear. By the post-World War II era, major brands like Puma and Adidas entered the U.S. market, soon building ties with basketball and hip-hop culture. However, sneakers surged into wider popularity when Nike signed rookie phenomenon Michael Jordan in 1984. MJ's Air Jordan lineup utterly transformed the game. Almost overnight, Nike exploded from underdog to a $4 billion giant as kids went crazy for Air Jordans, fueling demand hype and even violence to get the hottest drops. Jordan became a muse for creative youth, remixing sneaker styles with baggy suits, cross-color clothing, and urban fashion. Sneaker companies saw explosive new potential to tap black style and coolness to sell kicks. Hip-hop then acted like gasoline to this fire. Rappers name-dropped brands and lyrics while strutting in hot new sneakers as part of their persona and clout. Now, I don't know about you old heads out there, but all of my young boys know about the debate that ensued when Travis Scott dropped the infamous Sickle Mode a few years back, and everyone couldn't stop talking about the Drake lyric, Checks over stripes, that's what I like, a seemingly blatant jab at Adidas and praise for Nike. That one lyric captured so much about the state of sneaker culture, serious brand tribalism, artist slash brand alignment as identity, beef and drama between labels as entertainment. Drake knew exactly what he was doing, making a competitive reference subtle enough to get people riled up repping their side, Nike or Adidas. By the early 2000s, sneaker culture was embedded in hip-hop identity with artists launching collab lines, major tours sponsored by shoe brands, and an entire economy of resellers and customizers thriving around limited edition drops. I was also Team Nike. Now, in 2023, sneaker fandom has gone worldwide. Mainstream and highly commercial, yet black culture remains its creative engine and trend driver. From Kanye to Curry, Jordans to Yeezys, exclusivity still sells even as brands mass-produce. And while access has grown, serious collectors, dealers, and hustlers within black communities still set the culture even as outsiders appropriate and monetize it. Sneaker culture today is thus both empowering yet problematic, uplifting yet exploitative, bringing us to a crossroads between creativity and commercialism. When I think about an artifact exemplifying the intersection between black culture and popular trends, sneaker culture jumps out immediately. Once just athletic wear, sneakers now claim massive cultural real estate, shaping what people wear, idolize, and invest in. Specifically, Air Jordans became an iconic, permeating hip-hop fashion and streetwear. When Nike launched the Air Jordan 1 in the 80s, they tapped young black style, slang, and basketball, with ads tweaking privileged country club culture. Jordan shoes soon had their own lore and narrative, once resonating fiercely with urban black youth who saw their style, competition, and coolness reflected back. As hip-hop blew up in the 90s, Jordan and sneaker culture became further embedded in racialized resistance to the mainstream. Rappers wore colorful kicks as statements, while shoe companies exploited their edge and authenticity. Sneaker violence erupted over access, but also as an outlet for marginalized youth fighting for status and respect, as seen in Eminem's famous music video. Today, billion-dollar sneaker culture still traces this lineage of linking black racial identity to consumer capital. The industry relies on black action, artists, and culture for relevance, even while many fans can't access releases. So I chose sneakers because they represent the tensions scholar Stuart Hall described, popular culture shaped by black histories and resistance, yet appropriated and restricted once profitable. Stuart Hall argues that black popular culture, while often profoundly creative and trailblazing, becomes appropriated and restricted by mainstream, commercial forces over time. He sees popular culture as a site of tension and struggle between cultural traditions born from oppression and dominant structures seeking to exploit those same cultural goods when profitable. We see this tension vividly in sneaker culture. Brands like Nike and Adidas hugely profited from tapping feelings of marginalization, resistance, competition, and rising above the mainstream. Urban black style and representation sold, taking consumer culture by storm, when channeled through visionaries like Michael Jordan. Taking a wide view reveals sneaker culture as a micro-wisdom of black representation and cultural hegemony's tensions in an unequal marketplace. When Michael Jordan became a muse for creative youth, remixing basketball kicks with baggy sneakers, he became the icon of sneaker culture. When Michael Jordan became a muse for creative youth, remixing basketball kicks with baggy suits and cross-colored style, a groundswell exploded. Black culture again altered mainstream obsession through athletic innovation and fearless fashion. Yet, dominant corporate structures appropriated the most profitable aspects of sneaker culture, redirecting value and access back upstairs. Nike and other brands glorified the style and resonance with marginalized communities in ads and branding, but remained utterly disconnected from street realities. Stuart Hall unpacked sneaker culture as commodity fetishism, feelings of racial heritage and resistance being condensed into purchasing consumer products. And the biggest beneficiaries are no longer the cultural bearers, but corporations ever more detached from steep street origins by wealth disparity and cooptation of creativity for profit above all else. Collecting Jordans can seem liberating for racialized youth, but consumer identity also constrains who benefits from culture reduced to commodities. Ultimately, sneakers, especially Air Jordans, can't be detached from Black legacies. They reveal the creative monopoly of Black culture in an industry dependent on that cool edge and authenticity. Yet, the more profit soars, the more detached sneaker culture becomes from the people and stories that formed its soul. And that brings us to the end of this episode of Soul Searching. We've dug deep, tracing the imprint of Black culture within the ever-evolving phenomena of sneaker fandom. Through the scuff marks and soul patches, we've uncovered how icons like Air Jordans represent creative alchemy, transforming struggle into inspiration and barriers into competition to rise above all limitations. Sneaker culture has followed trickle-up dynamics as visionary athletes, rappers, and everyday youth continue remixing utility into art and stories rooted in life at the margins. Yet, the hype machine increasingly restricts access to culture's original creators, even as companies exploit their edge for billion-dollar campaigns. Sky-high resale speculation and exclusive drops distance sneaker culture from the street realities, despite their conceptual origins fighting to claim pride, belonging, and success against the odds. So, while sneakers testify to the cool and creative monopoly over mainstream style held by Black culture, even amidst commodification, Soul Searching also reveals tensions. Can products promising identity uplift rather than exploit? Can allure and equity intertwine? The journey continues on next week's episode. For now, unlace and breathe deep. I hope you dug this debut offering soul food for thought on culture, community, business, and society. Let us know what imprints our Soul Searching left on your perspective. Until next time, be easy, but don't crease them.