Ratchet Song of the Day: Nelly's "Air Force Ones"

In the spirit of rapping about things we love, Nelly and his St. Lunatics crew gave Nike connoisseurs another reason to bless their local Footlocker associate with a decent commission. For Nelly, this song meant having a successful single and more money in the bank. For sneakerheads everywhere this song created an unforeseen shortage. Nelly, Kyjuan, Ali and Murphy Lee exposed millions of consumers to the awesomeness that was Nike's Air Force Ones and caused a frenzy. From gum bottoms, to lows, to 3/4s, to exclusive colors and crazy lace-ups, Air Force Ones were a shoe everyone in the hood owned or wanted to own. I have to say, this song only comes second to Run DMC's My Adidas when it comes to raps about sneakers. Listen with me.  

For those who don't know, it was common practice to purchase 2 pairs of forces at the same time. I don't think anyone could have predicted how the song would impact the Air Force One supply. For a solid 2 years after this song was released I couldn't find a pair of white-on-white Air Forces in my size. There were roughly 15-20 sneaker shops within a 70 mile radius of my house and at one point I could only find one pair at a time. Yes, the sneakerhead life is *that* serious. I haven't purchased a pair of air force ones since 2007 (the picture above is my shoe) and I gave up my sneakerhead card after I copped the 20th Anniversary Jordan 1s. These days I wouldn't be caught in a pair of air forces. Those joints are just UCKLEY to me now. That white on an unworn pair still still gleams like no other, but I can't even get jiggy with a man who thinks wearing a fresh pair of one's is something to be impressed about. I would be remiss if I said this song is also an example of how hip-hop culture can catapult a brand while the artist rarely gets any financial compensation for doing so. Thats that sh*t I don't like. 

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