My Two Cents

Hype. What is it? Hype is what occurs, when a shoe is gassed up to astronomical levels for no apparent reason. Shoe companies use this hype and hysterical to inflate the value of shoes, and we all eat it up. Take for example, last year's Cool Grey XI release. By no means am I saying that these are not a classic shoe and colorway, but, because of the hype surrounding it there were riots and robberies all over the country for these shoes.   For Shoes!!! Now, I love my kicks, don't get me wrong, but, there has to be some kind of sense applied when it comes to these over hyped releases. A pair of sneakers are never worth any one's life or safety, nor should they be so inflated that re-sellers charge more than 4 times the box price. I found this cool video done by another great sneaker vlogger regarding hype. In this video, @STreeTTaTe compares two Air Jordan VII releases from this year. He provides a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

As I said in the previous post, there is one major benefit to the lack of hype on any given shoe. The less the hype, the better your chances of getting the shoes on sale and with much less hassle. So I guess, it can work both ways. The only way to combat hype is to buy what YOU like, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. Cause when it comes down to it, you will be the one paying for it and the one wearing it, the naysayers will never help you do either of those things.

Today's Deal

The much maligned Air Jordan 7 "Orion" colorway, has received a lot of hate and disdain from the "sneakerhead" community. Personally, I think that this is a clean summer colorway. Having seen the quality of them first hand, I realize the majority of hate is based strictly on hype. Hype is something that I guess is unavoidable in the community. Just because one "expert" dubs a colorway wack, the followers jump on the bandwagon and follow suit. The one great thing about hype or in this case lack there of, is that you can almost guarantee that the sneakers will go on sale a lot sooner and that their availability will be great. Having said all of that, you can grab these bad boys on sale at finishline.com for $100. Plus with a $10 off coupon or coupon code you can get them for $90. I will post the coupon code later on today. At this price, I doubt they will last as long, but, who knows. http://www.finishline.com/store/product/air-jordan-mens-retro-7-basketball-shoes/_/A-36052?productId=prod670688

Coupon Code

It's been a while since I got one of these, but, I'm glad to share it with you. Get 20% off of  purchases of $75 or more on footlocker.com with the coupon code EMFLV747. Hopefully, this will be the start of a few more coupon codes in the coming weeks as the school year draws near for most of us. The code is valid until 07/25. Happy Shopping!!!!

Video: "How to UN-DS your kicks"

A lot of sneaker enthusiasts purchase sneakers without ever intending to wear them. That process is called "DSing" or "deadstocking" in the community. Personally, I do not DS any of my kicks. Like my man @actionbraxton said in his feature, it doesn't make any sense to spend hundreds of dollars on something that you will never wear. Yes, I have some pairs I wear less often than others but none that I will NEVER wear. IMO it makes no sense, but, to each is own. I found this hilarious video from another one of my favorite sneakerheads, Merce The Curse, on how to Un-DS your kicks. Take a look and enjoy!!! Oh yeah, follow him on twitter too @mercethecurse

Today's Deal

The Nike Lunarglide+2 is a really great running shoe. It's just that simple.  The lunar technology is amazing and the shoe's design is clean. From what I know about it, the performance of these shoes are ridiculous. So, if you're in the market for a new pair of running shoes, look no further. You can grab these bad boys for $60 at nikestore.com. Happy Shopping!!!

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-100701/pid-362140/pgid-402004/sz-10.5

Realkick Collector- Sneakerhead feature of the month

Starting this month I will be featuring sneaker collectors from around the country in this new segment, Realkick Collector. I am truly excited about adding this feature to the blog, because it will showcase different collectors and get their views on the sneaker industry and community. The first feature will be on one of my good friends from twitter, @actionbraxton.  Check out his responses and a few pics from his collection.


1. When did you start your sneaker collection and what got you into sneaker collecting?
I started when I was in college (2001), but stopped. I restarted in 2008.

2. How large is your collection currently?
100 pairs, approx.

3. What is one pair that you don't have, but, wish you did?
Converse Aero Jams. One of my favorite shoes of all time. 

4. What sneaker release are you looking forward to the most for this year or in the near future?
Definitely the Air Yeezy II and the Air Jordan XIV

5. How has the sneaker culture changed since you started collecting? What are your thoughts on the resellers, etc.
One reason I stopped a while back is because of price gouging. Stores would get new releases and jack up the prices to ridiculous heights. Now, with a lot of resellers you see the same thing happening. Sights like Flight Club offer competitive market value prices, but a lot of these private sellers on ebay are just trying to rip people off.  Case in point: the prices they were trying to get for the B-grade Banned Air Jordan 1 retros. I don't deal with them on that level. As far as change, I think it's a lot more mainstream now.  It remains to be seen whether that will have a negative or positive effect on the industry.

6. Anything you want to add?
Don't buy based on hype. Get the kicks that you feel good about; buy what you like and rock them proudly. Also, don't be afraid to give a smaller shoe company a shot. There is a lot of heat out there just waiting to be discovered. Lastly, wear your sneakers! Doesn't make sense to me to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes just to let them collect dust. Like everything in life, they do have an expiration date.

Thank you my dude for your thoughts and sharing some of your kicks with us. Friends, make sure to follow him on twitter, @actionbraxton. Stick with realkickdeals to see who will be the featured collector next month. Peace!!!!