“New York, New York, rock tube socks and Timberlands.“
– Method Man (Ya’meen)
New York is often referred to as the Mecca. The Mecca of Basketball. The Mecca of Hip Hop. The Mecca of Streetstyle. The Nike Air More Uptempo “Flax“ combines the best of all three worlds.
Basketball, Hip Hop and Streetstyle all go hand in hand. Ballers listen to Rap music, Rappers wear Basketball jerseys or sneakers and Timberlands. This combination created the typical New York Streetstyle. As a matter of fact, the Rappers’ influence led to a meteoric rise for Timberland boots. Back in 1985 the company has sold pair number 1 million of its classic boots, a shoe created in 1973 as a workboot. When the boots became part of the Hip Hop culture and New York Streetstyle in the 1990s however, sales tripled. Rappers simply couldn’t get enough of the famous Timbs. Name dropping in Rap lyrics, like the Method Man line at the beginning of this article were something like free commercials for Timberland.
AN ICON OF HIP HOP CULTURE
New York especially became the capital of boots in the beloved Wheat colorway. When the winter comes, there ain’t no such thing as some Timbs on your feet, as Masta Ace spits in Me & the Biz, “I wear shorts in the Summer, Timberlands when it snows.“ From the 90s up until today, Timberland boots have become an icon of the Hip Hop culture and a staple on the streets of New York. As Papoose raps in Darkside, “They say why New York dudes always wear Timberlands.“ That’s because New York is the epicenter of the Hip Hop culture and Timberlands are a key piece of Hip Hop fashion.
However, not all Rappers wear Timbs all the time. Cause we all know “the Nikes on my feet keep my cipher complete“ (Nas, The World is Yours). And if Nas is talking about Nikes, he is talking about Basketball shoes. No sport is as connected to Hip Hop culture as Basketball. Basketball is Hip Hop. Remember MTV Cribs? Damn did these dudes have sneaker closets… There are numerous tracks with references to Air Force 1s, Nelly even has a whole song with that name, Jordans and Nikes. Basketball sneakers are THE quintessential piece for a perfect New York street look.
BASKETBALL MEETS BOOTS
And here’s where the Nike Air More Uptempo “Flax“ comes into play. A mixture between a bold and bulky Basketball shoe and the beloved Timberland boots. One of Nike’s most iconic Basketball silhouettes, the Air More Uptempo, worn by Bulls superstar Scottie Pippen in 1996, is a graffiti piece for your feet. The huge AIR lettering along the sides of the shoe make it stand out from the rest like a colorful mural in the grey streets of NYC. Add the classic wheat colorway of the Timberland boots and you have the perfect sneaker for the Fall Winter season.
The Nike Air More Uptempo “Flax“ is the perfect representation of New York as it combines Basketball (Scottie Pippen), Hip Hop (graffiti) and Streetstyle (Timberland colors) all in one shoe. Basketball meets Boots. It’s just like Wale says in his track Nike Boots, “I’m just doin’ what I gotta do, flyer than the rest of them, still got my Nike Boots!“ Preach.
Get the Uptempo “Flax“ here!
Shop for Timberlands here!