Facts vs "Facts"
So, yesterday we posted the infamous Nike/Jordan diss (whether he meant it to be a diss or not we'll never know), entitled "Facts" that Kanye released right as 2016 arrived. Of course, if you're into sneakers, especially adidas and/or Nike, you HAVE to know about the year the Three Stripes & Mr. West had in 2015. From announcing the merger at the top of the year, to the NYFW introduction of Yeezy Season 1, featuring the release of the critically-acclaimed Yeezy Boost 750, 350 & the 950 boot, to closing out the year with multiple 350 drops, to Mr. West receiving the FNAA Footwear Of The Year Award for 2015.
adidas, itself indeed took the crown & throne of 2015 with 3 words: Boost. Tubular. Yeezy.
Everything they dropped that had either of those names in it was received with great regards & the fashion world was forced to take notice.
So, in typical 'Ye fashion, Mr. West released "Facts", a shout-out to the Beaverton empire. And what a shout-out it is. From that incomparable wordplay:
"Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy, they line up for days / Nike out here bad, they can't give s*** away // I stuck to my 'Roots', I'm like Jimmy Fallon / I ain't dropped the album but the shoes went platinum"
Kanye even took it upon himself to rhyme the song in the same exact pattern featured on the hit song "Jumpman" by Drake & Future. Of course, we know where the inspiration of that song title came from.
And with that, we hit a dilemma...I mean, does Kanye really deserve to make a song taking shots at the Tinker & Company?
In my personal opinion...yes & no.
Make no mistake...adidas WON 2015. No matter what you say, they were the most followed footwear brand across all social media outlets & publications. Just take a look at the numbers from Instagram:
Yet and still Mr. West, that does not mean that Yeezy has officially 'jumped over Jumpman'. I mean, he even went as far as to make the cover for the single a rip-off of the Jordan logo:
But, let's take a look at the facts, indeed. For example...NIKE's 2015 included:
Drake's OVO branded Air Jordan collaboration (Air Jordan X (10) & XII [12])
Don C's coveted Air Jordan II (2) collaborative sneaker --- Does it seem ironic that Don C is Kanye's manager & lifelong Chi-Town friend?
The Air Jordan x Supreme Retro V (5) collection
The Nike Air Max Zero
Nike Air Trainer Cruz (NY Giants WR Victor Cruz's signature sneaker)
The multiple Nike Foamposite releases
Various Nike x Fragment Design collaborative shoes
The Public School x Air Jordan collection
Highly coveted Air Jordan releases, namely the "Maroon" 6, "Aqua" 8, "72-10" 11 & The Pinnacle 1 series
The inaugural Nike Air Mag gifted to Michael J. Fox; including power laces, announcing the public 2016 release, also to feature power lacing.
I mean...it's every sneaker lover's dream to be able to go to the mall Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, walk into that sneaker spot, go right up to that new release, and say with much vibrato, "Let me get those in my size, fam." Then, with much boldness, you put the new kicks on, and box the ones you wore in the store, cause you know it's only right to wear the new one right out the store. You open that box, look at them, & of course, smell them. (I DON'T CRE WHO YOU ARE, YOU'RE LAME IF YOU DON'T SMELL YOUR NEW SHOES. YOU SMELL A NEW CAR, DON'T TELL ME YOU AIN'T NEVER SMELLED NEW SHOES. IT'S A RULE OF THUMB.)
However, I digress...
...but, that's just the experience with the Swoosh. That was, until a Trefoil came along...
Not since...ever...has Tinker & Co not been the center of footwear attention. So, yes, with every fact he wants to have, Kanye can stake his claim to say that 2015, Three Stripes ran the world.
And, you know what...they're just getting started.
I can already proclaim...adidas WILL run 2016. ...may be time to turn that smile (Swoosh) upside down.
...cause TREFOIL KNOWS.