The #KOBESYSTEM

Sup folks? I am not gonna make any excuses for my absence, I am just going to be honest with you. I have been totally unmotivated to blog about anything lately. I was totally disappointed yet again with the way that these recent Jordan retro releases have been handled. Site crashes and people going crazy outside of stores is not the business. But, anyway, woosaah, I got it out. Now on to the business at hand, the new Nike Zoom Kobe VII. Many people weren't excited about these shoes when their images first released and to be honest neither was I. Now, however, I am a believer. Though I am yet to own a pair I have no doubt that I will sooner rather than later. The technology and performance in this shoe is simply amazing. The thing that has impressed me the most thus far with these shoes is the marketing strategy, #KOBESYSTEM. Please check out the spots of the new Kobe VII. Enjoy.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Folks!!! It's 2012 can you believe it? Well I hope that you all had a safe and enjoyable celebration with your loved ones. It's been a while since I did an update, but I promised myself I would apply myself more this year. It's a work in progress so just stick with me. If you didn't know there is a sale going on right now on nikestore.com. With the coupon code WAFFLEIRON you can save 25% on clearance items. So get to shopping because it ends tomorrow. Have  a great one.

Real Kick Collector of the month featuring Terrell Varner

What up folks? It's a new month, so you already know what time it is once more. This month's feature is on a person who I have come to know personally. He has the largest collections of anyone I know, hands down, over 800 pairs! What makes it even better is that he is a modest person, not caught up in all the hype, pomp and circumstance. He lives the collectors life. He buys what he likes and is not controlled by  what others may call "heat". So without further ado, I present Terrell, a Real Kick Collector if I ever met one. Enjoy.

How large is your collection right now (approximately)?
To put a number on it, roughly 850 pair ...maybe a little more..maybe closer to 900. Ive been doing this for a LONG time.  

What is the ultimate shoe for you?
This is a really tough question because I love shoes so much.  If you are asking from a balling perspective (since I play a lot of ball), then I would say zoom flight 2k3.  From just a cosmetic standpoint it would have to be Jordan XI Carolinas. 

 
If you could own a pair of shoes that are a hard to find collectible that wish you had taken care of as

 a kid. What shoe would that be and why?
I wasn't exactly a kid  ...BUT .....Gary Payton son of gloves white and black with the Carolina blue highlights. Wish I would not have dogged those so bad.  I just loved the look of that shoe in those colors.  Also the team I played with always put me on the best scorer of the opposing team ....so the whole locking people down thing like Payton fit.

Side note ....the black and white gloves come back out next year October :)

 What determines whether a shoe is a "collector worthy"?
There are alot of different opinions on this topic.  A lot.  The term "collector worthy" to me is relative.  It depends on the individual to me.  I have a pair of Jordan trunner lx2 Roy Jones edition and to most people those aren't considered collectibles but to me they are ....they have meaning to me.  Its collector worthy to me because it has meaning for me.  It doesn't have to have meaning to anyone else other than me. 

Does celebrity endorsement have an impact as to whether the shoe becomes one of the GOAT?
If you mean celebrities outside of athletes ...then NO.  If I see Common and Blackthought walking down the street in a pair of Lebron vii Miami nights ....I wouldn't rock because they would STILL be ugly to me.  Does the success of the athlete effect GOAT status? Of course.  I know I'm dating myself here but Weapons wouldn't have been Weapons if Magic and Bird weren't beasting people.  During that time, those two kept converse relevant. 

With your current collection, do you DS em or do you rock them?
  I try to rock all my shoes.  Some of them I double up because if i beat the first pair up I have to second pair to rock because I like them so much.  Kicks were meant to be worn.  Alot of my kicks are still deadstock though because I haven't gotten around to them yet.  Eventually I will ....I will TRY to retire after this year...running out of space. 

What are your top shoe hunting tips?
You have the usual stuff like getting to spots early or building with employees or researching. But, pay attention to the smaller spots.  Sometimes I go in places like Marshall's or Ross for kicks.  I got a pair of Jordan 2010 anniversaries in Ross for 49.99.  And they were legit.  Every now and then hit the outlets ....they are often a good spot for samples if you are into collecting samples.  I was in the Nike outlet and got a pair of Kobe V signing day samples for 21 even. 

What upcoming releases are you most looking forward to?
The Concords are a no brainer.  I will probably triple up on those.  Looking forward to some 2012 releases (if I don't retire) like cement 4's or a couple of XII's. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just collect for the love of it.  Shoes are like pieces of art.  They tell stories and are created from stories.  Rock what you buy.  Appreciate others who do what you do.  A lot of people will think its silly.  A lot of people will not understand why you collect but it doesn't matter.  As long as you are happy.  I appreciate anyone who collects kicks for the love.  It takes real dedication and commitment.  I've never heard of a lazy sneakerhead. 

Now on to some pics:

Coupon Code

Hey people, as Black Friday rapidly approaches and sneakerheads are gearing up to cop their most desired goods, our friends at Nike have blessed us with another opportunity to grab some kicks for the low. You already have the free shipping code, today I want to share with you an even better one. Enter the code , ADVANTAGE, at checkout and you will get an additional 25% off all clearance merchandise. I can't remember when the coupon code expires, but, if I were you, I wouldn't want to risk sleeping on such a great opportunity. So good luck and Happy Shopping!!! Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Coupon Code

Hey Folks! I hope you all have been having a great week thus far. I wanted to share a new coupon code with you today. This time from our friends at Nike. Now through December 21st you can get free shipping on any order when you use the code, SWOOSH at checkout. This is a great way to get your holiday shopping started, check it out at nikestore.com. Happy Shopping!!!

Dunkumentary

Sup folks, I have been so caught up with work and even working on this month's video feature, that I've been unable to blog like I am used to. Please accept my apologies, in the long run once I get this month's feature together I know you will all appreciate the effort. Anyway, I came across this pretty cool two part video on sneakertube.tv today simply entitled, Dunkumentary. It was made by, the solomind, and I found it to be quite interesting. I wanted to share it with you all, because the guys featured in it re-emphasize what I have always preached and lived by when pertaining to sneakers and the sneaker culture. So check it out, let me know what you think. Peace til next time.

Today's Deal

What up folks? It has truly been a long time since I did one of these. I saw these and knew I had to let you all in on it. Though not a high profile color, the Nike Hyperfuse Low 2011, is a great basketball sneaker. If you pay attention to the NBA you will easily recognize the shoe since a ton of basketball players prefer to play in them. Anyway, if you need a new pair of basketball kicks, you can't go wrong with these. For $50 these are a no brainer. Grab your pair at you local Finishline or at finishline.com. Happy Shopping!!!!

My Two Cents

This NBA lockout is really getting out of hand. On Monday night the league announced the cancellation of the first two weeks of this year's season. The cancellation amounts to a loss of about $83 million is revenue. WTH?!!! I know that this is a business, but, this makes no sense. As a fan, I feel like that the owners and the commissioner could really care less about the people that are supposed to matter the most, the fans. Being a true NBA fan, I suffered through the lockout shortened season of 1999 and I am really not looking forward to going through that once more. The "powers that be"  however are determined to have me and every other fan go through it anyway. Faced with this reality I came across these old Nike commercials during the last substantial lockout of 1999. Though the video may be old the feelings expressed in those classic commercials are still very relevant today. Enjoy this look back with me and let's hope that this madness ends soon.

Greatness

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge basketball fan, and I do mean huge. I am an even bigger Kobe Bryant fan and thus I am a Lakers fan. I am one of those don't talk to me for the next two and a half hours cause my team is playing type fans. Of course I am deeply saddened by the NBA lockout and the prospect of not having a basketball season this year. So, what does a basketball fanatic do when the game he loves is not on television? You watch highlights of your favorite player doing work! Kobe is (in my humble opinion) the best player in the league right now. I know many may argue against that and I'm OK with that. I think he is the truth and a beast on the court. My brother shares my appreciation for his basketball IQ and skill set and he was kind enough to share this video with me. At his urging, I will share it with you. Please enjoy and feel free to speak your mind in the comment section, both good and bad comments are welcomed. Even though I will take the negative ones as just a sign of hate. LOL, I kid. But for real though, just sit back and enjoy the mastery of, Kobe Bean Bryant!

Coupon Code

Sup folks? I hope all is well. I found a great coupon code today from my favorite sneaker brand, NIKE. On purchases of $50 or more you can get free shipping when you use the coupon code, FLYWIRE. Go to nikestore.com right now!

Real Kick Collector of the month featuring @royal_movmnt

                                                                  

 

This month's feature is on one of my truly favorite collectors and people I have been able to connect with through twitter. I stumbled across his youtube channel under his former name, Shaadi23, by accident pretty much and he came across as really cool and laid back dude. I was happy that once I did reach out to him on twitter he was as cool and gracious as he appeared on the videos. But enough about that without further ado, let's get to know my dude, @royal_mvmnt.

 

 

When did you start your sneaker collection and what got you into sneaker collecting?  

I started back in '99 and I was into sneakers since the 6th grade.  My parents weren't into buying me $100+ sneakers so I always told myself that when I get my first job I'm buying all the shoes I want!

 How large is your collection currently?

I'm down to about 45 pairs right now.  Sold more than I care to remember.

 What is one pair that you don't have, but, wish you did?

Right now the main shoe on my list is the Doernbecher 3's. Haven't been lucky to get my hands on them yet.

                                                              

 What sneaker release are you looking forward to the most for this year or in the near future?

I was really anticipating the Dark Pine Foamposite Pros and the Black/Cement 3's.  I have both now so the flip 3's are now on my radar.

 How has the sneaker culture changed since you started collecting? What are your thoughts on the resellers, etc.

I think when I first got into collecting, MJ was still a huge part of the game of basketball so collecting sneakers (Jordans mainly) was about owning a piece of history or something that took you back to good ol' days.  There weren't as many connects available back then and a lot of the shoes were retro-ing for the first time so there was a lot more anticipation and hype surrounding releases.  The main thing is you had toknow what you were talking about to be respected.  Now it's about being fly and more for sport, not to say that we weren't about being fresh!  Younger cats  don't care about the history as long as the shoe looks good which is cool, but there's more to the game than that.

                                                              

Tell me about Royal Movement? What is it about? 

ROYAL MVMNT.  is a company I'm starting and basically what I set out to do is inspire and motivate through many different ventures.  I'm promoting hard work, passion, dedication and success to those in pursuit of excellence.  So far we have the ROYAL MVMNT. tees out and the response has been great!  I have a few other things in the works as we speak.  Check out the tees at http://royalmvmnt.bigcartel.com and the ROYAL MVMNT.  Facebook page: http://facebook.com/royalmvmnt

 Anything you want to add?

Thank you for the opportunity!  I would like to S/O my KNGS Crew fam and respect to all those who share the same passion for this hobby.  Lastly I would like to say, WEAR YOUR SNEAKERS!!

  

                                                         

The Nike Lebron 9

What's up people? Today I wanted to share the Jason Petrie video breakdown of the upcoming Lebron 9. Personally, I really enjoy learning about the stories and technology that goes into developing a sneaker. I have heard rumors about these sneaks topping out around $250. How true that is, I have no idea, but if they are they will undoubtedly be the most expensive GR sneakers. Please correct me if I am wrong about that. But, anyway, without further ado, peep the video below.

The Nike MAG aka the Back to the Future Kicks

The world has been turned upside down, well at least for sneaker lovers and enthusiasts with the release of the Nike Mag. Ever wonder how these sneakers that a currently selling for no less than $5k came to fruition? Here's the video that sheds some more light on the whole situation. Enjoy!!

Oh, as a bonus, check out the commercial:

 

Coupon Code

What's up people? I hope all is well with you all. Today I have another coupon code again from footlocker.com. Get free shipping from footlocker.com on orders of $75 or more by using the coupon code, EMFLV987. Happy Shopping!

My Two Cents

Back in July I wrote a post regarding the phenomenon of hype in the sneaker community. Hype and hypebeasts  alike kill the game (in my opinion). I found a great example of this on solecollector.com today. They showed a clip from the recently released Nike Lebron 8 "Miami Nights" V2. Now, to be the fair the shoe was a limited release which I have no problem with, but, the thing I do have a problem with is one of the people that were lucky enough to grab a pair of these was only doing so to resell them at a ridiculous price. That is the definition of wackness!!! I hate, let me not use that word, I strongly dislike people like that. They get no respect from me. But, until we as a community stop buying shoes from these resellers at these retarded prices, the problem will remain. Stop it people! If the retail price is $150 there is really no reason for you to pay $800 for it. I'm just saying, but, I guess to each his own. Check out the story and a clip of the release madness below.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/09/01/lebron-miami-nights-shoe-packs-niketown-miami/

Real Kick Collector Feature of the month

This month's feature is on my good friend and sneaker collector, @bece3000. I tried something a little bit different this month and had a few of my followers submit questions to ask him. I hope that you all like it, let me know because it may become a permanent part of the process. So without further delay let's get to know @bece3000 a little bit better.

How large is your collection right now (approximately)?
You know, I have kicks scattered all over, I seriously don't know. But I have a steady rotation of probably 30-40 pair I wear on the regular. If I had to guess, I have between 150 and 170ish. But I really have NO idea. *Laughs

What is the ultimate shoe for you?

That's a tough one, but ultimate shoe? I'd say it would have to be the Air Jordan XIs. I'm gonna say the Concords since they were the first to release and I went through hell and high water (frozen water at that) to pick them up back in '96. The Breds are still my grails, but the Space Jams are my favorite.

If you could own a pair of shoes that are a hard to find collectible that wish you had taken care of as a kid. What shoe would that be and why?

There's a couple. The Jordan 7s in the Playoff/Concord colorway (often referred to today as Raptor 7s). My first (real) job growing up was at the local Hardee's restaurant and the uniform required black shoes. Imagine how messed up that gorgeous suede got sliding around that greasy floor. Those, and the aforementioned Concords I drove in a snowstorm to pick up. Had to have them so bad, I talked myself into getting a size 13. My feet stopped growing at a size 12, so I never grew into them. So I hooped outdoors in them and that patent leather and concrete mixed like oil and water. They got beat up!

What determines whether a shoe is a "collector worthy"?

That's based solely on whoever is buying the shoe. "What you eat don't make me sh*t." What determines whether a shoe is collection worthy to me though? Well I only collect or cop Nike signature series, Air Force 1 Lows, a few of the Air Max runners (BWs, 1s, 90s, 95s, 97s, 2010s, etc) and Jordan 1-20s. There might be a far off (very far off) occasion I'd go outside my preference for maybe a Dunk or Retro Nike. Like a Flight '89 or the Frees or Prestos for a summertime beater.

Does celebrity endorsement have an impact as to whether the shoe becomes one of the GOAT?

Like I told Complex this last winter, I grew up witnessing (in my opinion) the greatest generation of athletes EVER. Mike, Griffey, Barry and Bo just to name a few, which all just happened to be endorsed by the Swoosh. So it has its impacts. The only shoe I had to have in my collection, since I really started, that wasn't a Nike were the Reebok Questions. I was a huge fan of, AI, before the tats and braids, while he balled at Georgetown. So I went outside of my box to scoop those. And there was one or two Stan Smith adidas and a Pump Omni I can think of. But that's about it.

With your current collection, do you DS em or do you rock them?

I cop to rock. But I only have two feet, so a lot of them stay in their respective boxes for a while. I can think of 5 pairs I haven't worn yet ... The West (Wht/Black) and Midwest (Wht/Red) colorways of the Jordan 19s, the White/Red Jordan 17s (still in the box and case), pair of White on White Forces and the Busy P 1World Forces from the pack that came out in 08.

What are your top shoe hunting tips?

Relentlessness. Get to your retailers early on release dates. Build a good report with the store associates. Nowadays, we have it so easy. Like @ognikehead85 has said, we have all these sites with release dates and other info. Coming up, we had to make regular visits to stay in the know. Nothing wrong with either tactic.

What upcoming releases are you most looking forward to?

With out question, the Concords coming in December. Even though they're not exactly the same as the originals. Those and the Black Cement 3s.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I guess that I'm just so blessed to have a love for something so simple as a pair, or pairs of shoes. That I've been able to come together with SO many other collectors who share that same love I do. We really are a family. We should really be thankful that we have the opportunity to have materialistic possessions when others are not as fortunate, yet not envy one another and respect and props to different collections we do have. None of us are exactly the same which makes us all individuals, yet we're all bonded by a common desire.

Lastly, I want to thank my parents first and foremost for not giving me grief for blowing my allowance on shoes. Thanks to God for all of the people He's blessed me to be around coming up in the shoe game and all of the sneaker heads/fiends/junkies I've gotten acquainted with over the years. You're all an inspiration to me, and I thank you all for that!

A little Sunday Evening entertainment

Happy Sunday folks! I hope you all had a great and relaxing weekend, for those of you who had to work I hope it was a productive day. Anyway, while browsing the sneaker sites and reviews I came across this quick video entitled simply, "Sneaker Streaker". Of course the title intrigued me and once I was able to confirm it wasn't some naked dude, I took a look at it. It's pretty harmless, so you don't have to be nervous about watching it in front of your lady. I think the girl is Italian or something. Check it out below.

Fake, Variant, B Grade. What's the difference?

Today whilst browsing the myriad sneaker sites that I peruse I came across a very interesting article regarding the issue of fakes, variant and B grade kicks. In the article the author provided what I feel is fantastic insight into the difference and their individual definitions. Check out the article on solesupremacy.com or you can just use this trusty link; http://www.solesupremacy.com/2011/08/food-for-thought.html#links.

Now these are just HORRID!!! WTH!! Who would buy this???

Coupon Code

You can save 20% off orders of $75 or more on footlocker.com. This offer applies to online purchases only folks. So please use the coupon code, EMFLV867 at checkout to receive the discount. This offer expires on 08/22/11. Happy Shopping!!!!

COUPON CODE!!!!

Sup folks, today I got a new coupon code for you all. Right now you can go to nikestore.com and score an additional 20% off their clearance items by using the code, BATTERUP, at checkout. Remember, popular styles and sizes sell out fast, so the sooner you get on it the better for you. Happy Shopping!!!