Check out the two spots below which are voiced by the baritone stylings of rapper Chali 2Na. 

Back in the early 2000s that would have been a big deal, but Reebok’s “S. Carters” and “G-Units” already played out the novelty of stamping rap logos on generic looking sneakers. A new apparel era has dawned and creativity is king.

Kanye just released his Nike “Air Yeezys” and his Louis Vuitton steps and Adidas and UNDRCRWN are in negotiations with Mos Def to release his bold but fresh “Boogie Man” kicks. Why would Adidas release the boring “Snowmans” when they have the dope “Boogie Mans” (below) on tap?

Hip-Hop music is not selling like it used to, which means that it’s only holding onto its pop-culture credibility by virtue of its fashion-forward sense of cool. That elusive “cool” will be lost however if hip-hop tosses up half-assed bricks like Jeezy’s “Snowmen.”

If Jeezy really wants to make waves in the shoe game, he needs to take notes from Yeezy, Hip-Hop’s resident fashion Podiatrist. Otherwise he needs to shelve his shell-toes, or donate them to Rick Ross’ lackluster K-Mart Luxury Tax clothing line.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

]]> http://giantmag.com/style/giant-magazine-staff/young-jeezy-to-drop-new-adidas/feed/ 0 http://giantmag.com/sports/giant-magazine-staff/get-to-the-nba-finals-with-adidas/ http://giantmag.com/sports/giant-magazine-staff/get-to-the-nba-finals-with-adidas/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:34:13 +0000 GIANT http://giantmag.com/?p=237291  

Flaunting team colors and trash-talking from the stands (or the living room, depending on where you’re watching the game) is probably the best part of any spectator sport. But what if you could get rewarded for it? That’s the idea behind the new adidas sweepstakes, “Rep Your Brotherhood,” where one very lucky winner will win a trip and two tickets to Game 3 of the NBA Finals and $500 worth of adidas gear. 

Running now (April 29) until May 15, 2009, the sportswear giant is looking for die-hard basketball fans to submit photos of themselves along with a 100 word piece about why they love the sport. The top 20 entries will be voted on by the online community from May 18 to May 29 and adidas will announce the winner on June 1, 2009.   

To learn more information, read the rules and to enter, click here.

Image: Sole Collector 

The first portion of Mos’s UNDRCRWN line, designed with Dustin Canalin, just dropped, and a full cut and sew range is coming in late spring. Though the rare “Boogie Man” sneakers have so far only blessed the feet of Black Dante himself, Mos and Canalin continue to work with Adidas.

Speaking of new shit, apparently the designer known as Mos Def also raps! Check out “Flowers,” an acapella teaser for his forthcoming album The Ecstatic.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

Even though it’s played on the blacktop, basketball is going green. For a little, while that is.  

The NBA has hooked with the National Resources Defense Council to kick off Green Week 2009. As part of the campaign, sportswear giant Adidas will hook up their players in 100% sustainable organic shooting shirt, which can purchased at the NBA’s online store here.

NBA Green Week starts today, April 2 and will continue onto April 10.

As part of March Madness, sportswear giant Adidas is kicking off a new campaign featuring some of their star NBA players. The campaign entitled “March is a Brotherhood” features players Kevin Garnett (seen above), Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, and Josh Smith giving props to their favorite NCAA teams.

Check out the videos below:

Garnett + UCLA

Howard + Kansas

McGrady + Louisville

Smith + PItt

In part five of GIANT Magazine’s exclusive, six-part online look inside the creation of “DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop (Collins Design),” co-author Bill Adler takes you on a tour of some of the most outlandish kicks in the book, and Rev Run reminisces about how Jam Master Jay kept his sneakers on his feet back in the day.

Watch the video here:

PART ONE: Making Hip-Hop’s Classic Album Covers

PART TWO: Ice-T and Run Examine Hip-Hop’s Classic Album Covers

Kevin Garnett and David Beckham got in a friendly basketball competition, seeing who can make a basket by kicking the basketball through the hoop. This footage was taken while they were on the set of the filming of the adidas Originals Brand campaign Celebrate Originality.

The adidas Originals Celebrate Originality campaign is set against the background of a house party hosting an eclectic mix of people from the worlds of music, fashion and sport. The creative features musicians and icons Katy Perry, Estelle, Young Jeezy, the Ting Tings, DMC, Method Man, Redman, Afra, Ryukyudisko, Russell Simmons and Missy Elliott,  as well athletes like Garnett, Beckham, Ilie Nastase and Mark Gonzales, and designers Kazuki and Jeremy Scott.

For more NBA action, click here to check out our Chris Paul gallery! And here for our Carmelo Anthony gallery!

And for more sneaker love, click here to check out the new Air Jordan 2009!

Adidas Y-3 Collection is a collaboration with the sportswear company and the cutting-edge Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. At the Y-3 Fall 2009 Presentation which was held at a soccer pitch in Manhattan, Tyson Beckford, Kanye West, Veronica Webb and Anthony Mackie were a few of the celebrities on the front row. Like his own Post-Modern creations, Yamamoto brought that sensibility to Y-3 but mixed it with innovative and youthful sportswear (literally there were children in the show). The result is a global combination of urban, fashionista, athletic and chic. Military jackets, ’80s Pop Art references, dressy denim, lot’s of black and Yamamoto’s own neo-classical influence created the perfect collection for the young, hip and cool.  Check out some of the looks.