News: Just for kicks (How Run D.M.C. and others revolutionized the sole)
News/Web Culture/Youth Trends/Sneakers/Justin Eisinger
Found on: sdcitybeat.com
When MC Rev Run stared into a camcorder in 1986 and pitched an endorsement deal to Adidas by demanding, �Gimme a million dollars!� it seemed unclear if he actually expected anyone to listen. Regardless, it was a spot-on representation of the Run D.M.C. credo, often summarized as �they were gonna dress on stage like they would in the streets.�
As it turns out, execs in Adidas� L.A. office were listening. They had been for a few years, ever since rap's three bad brothers single-handedly saved the Shell Toe sneaker from oblivion. The shoe giant decided to bank on the tremendously successful "My Adidas" song (then No. 10 on the black charts �with a bullet�). They put on a special concert in New York City, at which the crowd waved 10,000 pairs of Shell Toe Superstars overhead.
That million dollars bought Run D.M.C. unparalleled commercial success which the group used to become genre-breaking, crossover mega-stars, and ultimately sparked the sneaker-culture boom. Ironically, the lyrics to "My Adidas" were inspired by Run D.M.C.s own critics; the anti-conformity anthem was a response to those who dissed their stick-up kid style:
Found on: sdcitybeat.com
When MC Rev Run stared into a camcorder in 1986 and pitched an endorsement deal to Adidas by demanding, �Gimme a million dollars!� it seemed unclear if he actually expected anyone to listen. Regardless, it was a spot-on representation of the Run D.M.C. credo, often summarized as �they were gonna dress on stage like they would in the streets.�
As it turns out, execs in Adidas� L.A. office were listening. They had been for a few years, ever since rap's three bad brothers single-handedly saved the Shell Toe sneaker from oblivion. The shoe giant decided to bank on the tremendously successful "My Adidas" song (then No. 10 on the black charts �with a bullet�). They put on a special concert in New York City, at which the crowd waved 10,000 pairs of Shell Toe Superstars overhead.
That million dollars bought Run D.M.C. unparalleled commercial success which the group used to become genre-breaking, crossover mega-stars, and ultimately sparked the sneaker-culture boom. Ironically, the lyrics to "My Adidas" were inspired by Run D.M.C.s own critics; the anti-conformity anthem was a response to those who dissed their stick-up kid style:
We took the beat from the street and put it on TV/ My Adidas are seen on the movie screen/ Hollywood knows we�re good if you know what I mean/ We started in the alley, now we chill in Cali.
Related story: Nice Kicks
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