Drake’s the Wrong Choice for Jordan Brand - So Who’s The Right Choice? Posted by Ru Porter on 12/09/13 | Filed under Top Stories, Opinion, Style, Drake, Sneakers

I’m no Drake hater, but I have to admit his Jordan Brand x OVO partnership caught me by surprise. Sure, he’s been spotted on numerous occasions with Js on prior to the new endorsement -- one of which involves him lending his talents at the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic -- but judging by most of the comments I’ve read online following the unexpected announcement, it's clear that the sneaker community agrees he’s not a real sneakerhead. Why else would Complex write this article? To validate their point even further, Champagne Papi posted a pair of 12s on Instagram and mistakenly called them 10s. That alone should make any sneaker enthusiast question his so-called fandom, which is why I chose to make a case against him being the first non-athlete Jordan Brand ambassador. But before the cavalry starts chiming in, I’d like to point out that getting free kicks for being famous doesn’t make you a sneaker connoisseur. Brands love getting press from celebs and writers, as it helps garner more attention and boosts sales. So it’s highly unlikely that Drake is actually buying pairs with his own money, and for that reason it’s extremely difficult to show support.

Therefore, I decided to list a handful of celebrities that I think would’ve been more authentic choices since a) they’re relevant in some shape or form, b) prominent sneaker outlets have acknowledged their ever-growing collections and c) they’ve referenced some of their favorite sneaks in videos and on wax. 

The most obvious alternative would have to be Wale considering he entered the game with a breakout record titled “Nike Boots” (), and later had custom Air Jordan Flyers made to promote “The Gifted”.  Now of course I know album sales and overall popularity are a huge factor, but regardless if Mr. Folarin isn’t nearly as influential as Aubrey Graham, being known for consistently rocking rare finds like these and these should warrant some type of merit.

But given that it seems like Nike is trying to broaden their demographic, why not enlist the help of DJ Skee? For starters he’s Caucasian, has a clean image and his closet has gotten several features on Nice Kicks, a leader in the sole collecting community. What’s more, from a business perspective Skee’s done way more than bring Damani Dada back and make drinking Moscato popular in the last four years. However, if you’re still not convinced look no further than this LA Weekly feature for a brief overview of his extensive résumé. 

Another less obvious although fairly suitable pick would be Jim Jones. Yes, Capo’s been to jail and he's rough around the edges, but at any given time you can catch him shopping for multiple pairs at NYC’s Fight Club. There was even that one time he racked up 2000 infrareds in a single outing. And while Jimmy may not be relevant musically, he does have his own reality series on VH1, which showcase him wearing various Nikes every week. 

Point being, real heads know that hip-hop culture and Jordan culture are two separate entities, despite them going hand in hand with each other. Just ask MikeWillMadeIt, one of the most popular urban producers of the last two years, who just so happens to have a somewhat popular record named “23”.  And if this interview with MTV  isn’t a clear indication of how high his sneaker IQ is, then I’ll end my Drake rant here; though it’ll be hard for me to get excited for any upcoming releases when famed hip-hop journalist Kazeem Famuyide, stated on The Commission PNC Radio Show that an undisclosed Jordan Brand rep confirmed Drizzy isn’t doing anything groundbreaking to transcend the culture.

Put simply, despite making headlines for being the first artist to join #TeamJordan, the extent of his contract will only result in OVO-inspired player editions, and the immortal Jordan Brand deserves more.

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