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Big Sean a style icon? Not quite, but we bet you can walk out your door right now and see a gang of kids who are carbon-copies of the Detroit-based rapper. In the past few years, the G.O.O.D music affiliate has been on trend — whether it’s Japanese-crafted chains, vintage snapbacks, or custom denim jackets average Joes can’t score, Sean has carved his own lane when it comes to style. Oh and his sneaker game? Solid to say the least. Sean’s closet is stacked with everything from Jordans to high-fashion Balenciagas, and as the paper continues to grow, so will the rotation. As he preps his debut album “Finally Famous” which he just dropped his single
”I Do It” for, we sat down with Sean to get his top 25 sneakers of all time. Click through to see what kicks made the cut.
25. Space Jams
#25 Air Jordan XI “Space Jam”
Big Sean: “I associate these with when I was a kid looking at Space Jam. I saw Jordan rocking these, and I was so in love with that movie at the time. I don’t remember how old I was, but I was young as hell when it came out. When the sneakers finally dropped, I got them immediately"
24. Tisa
#24 Ti$a x 80’s Gucci Tennis Shoe
Big Sean: “The thing is, I used to not be a fan of the Ti$a shoes that much, but after I started wearing them, I really like how they look on my feet. I get so many compliments on them, like, 'Man, those are fresh,' and they are."
23. Jordan 5 Black
#23 Air Jordan V Black/Silver
Big Sean: “Oh, these are just fresh as hell. I didn’t get the Vs until later on. I didn’t get them when they first came out, I got them later. When I first started hanging out with Kanye, I used to see like, Don C, IBN Jasper, were always wearing them, and I used be like, 'Man, those are the fresh.'"
22. Flint 13
#22 Air Jordan XIII “Flints”
Big Sean: “I’m talking about the OGs, not the retro ones that just dropped. I love the OGs, but the new ones are kinda weak. I just love that colorway, and the reflective detailing. I’m not a big fan of the 13, but the Flint 13 colorway is so cool to me. I just remember when everybody had them, and I was rocking those in high school, looking fresh as hell. I actually sold the pair I had but then ended up getting them again the same year."
21. Balen
#21 Balenciaga Sneakers All-Black
Big Sean: “Man, I think these are just some fresh-ass upscale sneakers that you could wear with a suit that doesn’t look weird. I’ve worn them with suits, I’ve worn them with jeans, I really respect the versatility of these shoes. If you wanna fucking go work out in them, man, that shit will go perfect too."
20. Balen Grey
#20 Balenciaga Sneakers Smoke Grey
Big Sean: “The smoke grey Balenciagas aren't that suit-friendly, you kind of wear these more with casual things, but they’re just also another great shoe.
19. DMP 11
#19 Air Jordan XI “Defining Moments”
Big Sean: “I’m not even a big fan of Jordan XIs like that, they're probably one of my least favorite pair of Jordans, but the Defining Moments Pack, I just feel like was so well put together. The XIs from that pack, I liked them cause they were classic white and black ones with gold accents. I’m a real big fan of gold highlights and stuff like that, so I thought that was just a real good one."
18. DMP 6
#18 Air Jordan VI “Defining Moments”
Big Sean: “Now the VIs, those shits are just beast, those are just cold man. The VIs are some of my favorite Jordans. The design of the VIs is just fresh, period. Black and gold is definitely one of my favorite colorways, and these are so rare, so it's fresh to have a pair."
17. Jordan 8 Black/Grey
#17 Air Jordan VIII Black/Grey
Big Sean: “I had these in high school, like the first year of high school, it just brings back the memories of freshman year. It was right when I was really heavily getting into Jordans too. I just associate these shoes with like my first girlfriend, my first awesome shit like that."
16. J2
#16 Air Jordan II
Big Sean: “These are just classic. I don’t even have any explanation, it's just is what it this. These are just some of the first fresh-ass Jordans, period."
15. Jordan 5 Grape
#15 Air Jordan V “Grapes”
Big Sean: “Grape 5s, I love these, man. I just love the colorway. That aqua/purple colorway is just one of the freshest colorways, that’s why I like the Aqua 8 so much too. I associate these with 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' type of shit."
14. Vans Red
#14 Vans Authentic Red/White
Big Sean: “Just the classic lows. These are just fresh as hell, and such a casual sneaker. I feel like they go with jeans really good, especially dark denim. They're one of my favorite shoes to rock. They're something that are easy, comfortable, not too expensive, and still fresh. Vans are classic to me."
13. Vans All-Black
#13 Vans Authentic All-Black
Big Sean: “All-black Vans are real G. I think Pharrell put me on those honestly, hanging out with him, I used to see him rock them a lot. I just really admire Pharrell’s style and shit, and he just made them look fresh as hell. I’m not even gonna lie, I like went and got some after I saw him rocking some. Then I saw Kanye rocking them too, and I was like, 'Damn, those shit’s are fresh.'"
12. Jasper Black
#12 Louis Vuitton Jasper All-Black
Big Sean: “I really feel like it’s hard to make a Louis Vuitton shoe, or a Nike shoe, or any shoe nowadays that’s just fresh as hell with a new design. Even the new Jordans are wack as hell. Kanye did a good-ass job of designing these and giving them that classic feel. They just look so fucking cool on your feet, and that’s why I like them. Three fucking straps on the sneaker, they're a go-to when you wanna stunt with a high-top, fresh-ass shoe. Not to mention, they’re LV on top of that."
11. Jasper Pink
#11 Louis Vuitton Jasper Grey/Pink
Big Sean: “These are my favorite over the black ones. It wasn’t until I had them that I realized how fresh they were. The pink bottoms were just off-top my favorite just because of how much they popped, and how much they stood out. They’re just loud, man. I like wearing loud shoes sometimes, and the pink soles just like fucking glows. I’m not really into pink and shit like that, but they just look extra-fresh on those shoes."
10. Yeezy Black
#10 Nike Air Yeezy Black/Pink
Big Sean: “Just another dope-ass colorway. My favorite shoes are mostly black. That was another example of where [Kanye] made a design that was fresh as hell like a Jordan. They reminded me of a retro Jordan. No new shoe has made the impact on Nike that the Yeezy has made on Nike, period. Jordan has to keep putting out the retros because that’s what people like. These Yeezys I feel embody the same energy as the Jordan retros. No disrespect, I just really feel like they're on that level. I can’t wait for the Air Yeezy 2s. I’ve seen them, they’re dope as hell. I can tell you that you may get similar colorways, that’s all I can say. You may get some black and pink Air Yeezy 2s. Maybe, maybe not."
9. Jordan 6 Carmine
#9 Air Jordan VI “Carmines”
Big Sean: “These are just so fucking fresh. White and red, classic colorway. These were just the illest, the OGs. I don’t have the OG ones, I got the ones that came out in the pack, but I respect the OG ones. You know? I could probably get them if I really wanted, but sometimes if you get shoes that are real old, they crack and shit. Like I said, the VIs are one of the best designs in a Jordan. I think it’s the III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII are the best designs. I don’t really like the majority of VIs that are out now because they don’t have the feel of the OG ones, but the newer Carmines still had that same feel to me, and I really like them a lot."
8. Jordan 7 Bordeaux
#8 Air Jordan VII “Bordeaux”
Big Sean: “I just like them ‘cause I saw Michael Jordan rocking them in Michael Jackson’s video. That’s what I always associate these with, they’re super rare. They look like the Raptors, but the tongue is kind of pinkish and then on the top they have all different colors. I like them because the colorful-ass tongue and the grey. The colorway is on some fresh-ass '90s shit."
7. Hare 7s
#7 Air Jordan VII “Hares”
Big Sean: “Cold as fuck. I love the green accents, along with the white, grey, red and orange. That’s just a really good colorway. The way they pop on your feet, you just can’t explain it, that shit just makes me feel good. I can’t remember if I had them on the Glow in the Dark tour, but I think that’s when they came back out. They were just like the freshest shit, everybody was rocking them. Me and Ye, I remember we all wore them the same day one time. That shit was hard as hell."
6. Black 4
#6 Air Jordan IV Black/Cement
Big Sean: “Man this is just possibly the best Jordan. Definitely one of the most classic, one of my favorites to rock. I just can’t explain it. When I put them on, I just feel like…fucking Jordan, man."
5. Jordan VI Infrared
#5 Air Jordan VI “Infrareds”
Big Sean: “Crazy. Infrared OG Black 6s are way better than the new ones they came back out with. The new ones they came back out with did not give me the same feeling. Jordans were really made different back then. The first person who put me up on them was Kanye. I didn’t see how fresh they were until he had the old ones on. I went and got me a pair that cost an arm and a leg. You really can feel and see the difference between the OG Infrared and the ones that just came back out a year ago."
4. Jordan 8 Aqua
#4 Air Jordan VIII “Aquas”
Big Sean: “My favorite colorway on a shoe. The black and aqua just clash really good, especially with the grey heel that they have. I’ve worn these with a suit, I’m not even gonna lie. I’ve worn them for everything, they just go perfect. I love 'em."
3. J8 Ray Allen
#3 Air Jordan VIII Ray Allen PEs
Big Sean: “I really like them because of how rare they are, and yes I do have them. I never wear them. I actually saw Drake wearing a pair on stage one time, I was like, 'this guy is fucking crazy.' These are real exclusive, and really hard to get. I really like them more because they’re so exclusive, I hope they never come out with them."
2. J7 Raptor
#2 Air Jordan VII “Raptor”
Big Sean: “Man, these are my favorite 7s. One of my favorite shoes of all time. I don’t know what it is, some shoes you just put on and feel like the shit. Besides Jordan hooping in them, when I first got on with Kanye I noticed he used to rock these a lot. I used to be a Kanye stan, he was like my favorite when he came out, and he was always rocking these and made me like them even more. I had them in high school and I didn’t appreciate them as much as I do now. I like trashed them up completely. I actually left the ones I had in the city, and I’m still waiting on this girl to send them to me."
1. J3
#1 Air Jordan III Black/Cement
Big Sean: “This sneaker is classic in every single way. The IIs were cool, but these were just like, 'Wow, this is some fresh shit.' I feel like that’s when they started transitioning into like super street wear. Classic colorway, classic everything. These will never get old. I think a hundred years from now if somebody has a pair of OG IIIs, they’ll still be the shit. Jordan can just keep re-releasing these because they'll always be fresh."