Kendrick Lamar used To Pimp a Butterfly as a vessel to return to his hometown of Compton to fight gang violence rather than escape it. His latest collaboration with Reebok seeks to promote that end, as the "King Kunta" rapper has previewed a shoe that caters to both bloods and crips.
Each pair of Lamar's re-mixed Reebok Ventilators contains one "BLUE" shoe and one "RED." The two colors, one written on the left and one on the right, represent the bloods (red) and the crips (blue), two major gangs in Compton and across the country.
The word "NEUTRAL" is shown on the tongues of both right and left, thus uniting the two warring gangs. According to Complex Sneakers, Kendrick's new Reeboks are set to hit the U.S. on July 18 and will cost approximately $140.
If Pirus and Crips all got along: https://t.co/SB8kLi4Of7 pic.twitter.com/yDcZIpHxRt
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) July 9, 2015
Kendrick Lamar's first Reebok sneaker tries to unite gang members in the best way possible: https://t.co/g0EW2oOjw1 pic.twitter.com/wS9Llm26jZ — Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) July 7, 2015
K. Dot recently wowed the rap world with a stirring performance of "Alright" at the BET Awards, and an ensuing powerful black-and-white music video of the same TPAB single. Both the performance and the video spoke on how police brutality contributes to the violence found in gang-ridden areas such as Compton.
Watch the Colin Tilley directed video below.
Fox News recently made some inflammatory remarks on Lamar's BET performance, citing it as another example of hip-hop's disparaging impact on the African American community. Lamar responded by saying it's his job, not that of an outsider, to reflect the realities of where he comes from.
Lamar spoke similar sentiments in his Reebok-sponsored short film "Be Ventilated," which aired in April; "We can no longer sit idly by while the powers that be tell us how to live, how to think, how to act, all the while writing songs about not caring about us."
His new sneakers are intended to rouse persons that might otherwise not be thought of when considering positive change within his community.
