Image via Complex Original
As one of music's most prolific artists, Jay Z has kept it consistent with the wordplay for over a decade. Having the freshest gear has always been a part of a Hova's rhymes in some form or another, and through the years, he's also shown respect to sneaker culture. Whether it's dropping a rhyme about his affinity for Air Jordans or plugging his own joint venture with Reebok, Jay Z's been known to lace his lyrics with a nod to kicks. In honor of Shawn Corey Carter's birthday, here is a History of Jay Z's Sneaker References.
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"He want to run with me, I know this kid will be loyal/I watched him make a few ends to cop his little sneakers and gear"
Song: "Coming of Age"
Album: Reasonable Doubt
Year: 1996
"I hated me and everybody that created crack/Had me thinkin' the newest kicks, and the latest gat"
Song: "You Must Love Me"
Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
Year: 1997
"Carolina blue kicks, hottest nigga on the block/Used to wheelie bicycles since I was six"
Song: "Best of Me (Remix)"
Album: Backstage: A Hard Knock Life
Year: 2000
“I stay sportin’, Played Jordans before Jordan”
Song: "S. Carter"
Album: Vol.3...Life and Times of S. Carter
Year: 1999
“Specially when you're sittin on 20s they get nauseous/Standin’ in the Azure with the white Air Forces”
Song: "Parking Lot Pimpin'"
Album: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
Year: 2000
“I got this young chick, she's so immature/She like, why you don’t buy me Reeboks no more?'”
Song: "Girls, Girls, Girls"
Album: The Blueprint
Year: 2001
"Lampin in the Hamptons, the weekends man/The Stan Smith adidas and the Campus. Playin guts on the cruise, Hermes boat shoes/The Izod bucket on, I'm so old school"
Song: "Jigga That Nigga"
Album: The Blueprint
Year: 2001
"Rocawear… check/Nike Airs… check."
Song: "All I Need"
Album: The Blueprint
Year: 2001
“Like a personal trainer, I teach coke to stretch/I pump in Roc sweats, all white trainers”
Song: "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)"
Album: The Blueprint
Year: 2001
“But Isis liked this Broadway life/She love the Gucci sneakers, the red, green, and whites”
Song: "Meet the Parents"
Album: Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse
Year: 2002
"Ma I got whatever outside and you know what I'm sittin' on/50/50 venture with them S dots kickin’ off”
Song: "Excuse Me Miss"
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse
Year: 2002
"I damn near beat Jordan in around-the-world/Nigga please, you can’t even hold my shoes”
Song: "Nigga Please"
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse
Year: 2002
"Bucket low, like fuck it, though/Nikes on, daytime, lights on/Hell yeah I'm frontin' but you love it, though"
Song: "Show You How"
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse
Year: 2002
"I'm in new sneakers, dual-seaters, few divas/What more can I tell you?"
Song: "What More Can I Say?"
Album: The Black Album
Year: 2003
"Man, I'm high off life. Fuck it, I'm wasted/Bathing Ape kicks, Audemars Piguet wrist/my woman friends get tennis bracelets"
Song: "Allure"
Album: The Black Album
Year: 2003
"Dear summer, I know you gon' miss me/For we been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees. S Dots with polo fleeces/Purple label shit with the logo secret"
Song: "Dear Summer"
Album: Memphis Bleek's534
Year: 2005
"Thanks for the duffle bag, the brown paper bag, the Nike shoe box for holding all this cash"
Song: "Roc Boys"
Album: American Gangsta
Year: 2007
“Six pair of kicks is my definition of 12 steps”
Song: "Rehab (Remix)"
Album: Rehab
Year: 2008
"So I'mma spread my wings, you can meet me in the sky/I already got my own clothes, already got my own shoes I was hot before Barack, imagine what I'm gonna do"
Song: "My President is Black"
Album: Young Jeezy's The Recession
Year: 2008
"Whether black or white, we both like Mike/We both like Jordans, we both Phil's Knight"
Song: "Venus vs. Mars"
Album: Blueprint 3
Year: 2009
“It’s like I’m searching for kicks, like a sneaker head”
Song: "So Ambitious"
Album: Blueprint 3
Year: 2009
“I’m ballin’ outta control, can you hear my sneakers?”
Song: "So Ambitious"
Album: Blueprint 3
Year: 2009
"Ball so hard, let’s get faded/Le Meurice for like six days/Gold bottles, scold models, spillin’ Ace on my sick Js"
Song: "Niggas in Paris"
Album: Watch The Throne
Year: 2011
"When you front row at the Knicks game, those the Spike Lees/You front row everywhere, you in the H.O.V.s. Jordan Is and dungarees/And that's just the half of my warpath"
Song: "FUTW"
Album: Magna Carta Holy Grail
Year: 2013
"Move blocks and squares, move apples and pears/Work pots and pans, just to cop me some Airs"
Song: "Welcome to The Jungle"
Album: Watch the Throne
Year: 2011
"At 42, be better than 24/I carry the 4-5, mastered 48 Laws/Still wearing my 23s, they can't fuck with the boy"
Song: "Primetime"
Album: Watch the Throne
Year: 2011
"Ballys on my feet help me balance out well/That and the shit I used to balance on the scale"
Song: "The Joy"
Album: Watch The Throne
Year: 2011
"Ass-tight denim and some Dunks"
Song: "Suit & Tie"
Album: The 20/20 Experience
Year: 2013
"New blacks with new stacks/I already been the king, retroact/I'm just bringing it back like Jordan packs"
Song: "Somewhereinamerica"
Album: Magna Carta Holy Grail
Year: 2013
"My eyes bloodshot but my jet don't lag. A pair of Jordan IIIs tryna chase this cash."
Song: Pound Cake
Album: Nothing Was The Same
Year: 2013