True to his form, it’s another Kendrick Lamar single-one reportedly titled Watch The Party Die-which has sent a ripple of interest, not just because it’s new music, but for the unexpected artwork that accompanied it. At first glance, the image is simple: a pair of worn-out black Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, battered and scuffed from years of wear. But as with most things, Kendrick, there’s more to it. These shoes weren’t just picked for the look; they were instead bought off eBay for $70, making this the latest chapter in Lamar’s ongoing narrative of melding the everyday with the profound.
They were made from vintage Nike Air Force 1 ’82 Low ‘Black Black’ in size 12-the shoes listed by a user who goes by “Good2BYou” out of North Little Rock, Arkansas. When he put them online that day, he probably had no idea he was about to be a part of hip-hop history. On September 11, 2024, the same day in which Lamar dropped the song, they sold for $70 – this surreal intersection of pop culture and second-hand shopping.
As soon as the song was released, the dots were connected in no time by the fans. An Instagram post with the worn sneakers there led amateur sleuths to dig up that eBay listing, which stoked speculation: Had Kendrick Lamar himself purchased the shoes, or, or had he used the image for a symbolic statement?
However he came into the sneakers, the minor purchase from an unsuspecting eBay seller sets off a deeper conversation about Lamar’s art and how he manages to tie the mundane into larger cultural meaning.
And, as wont with Lamar’s work, the conversations moved rather quickly past surface-level musings. Lamar’s made a career out of tucking layers of meaning into his art, mining the seemingly mundane objects and experiences for sweeping narratives. The sneakers, far from some arbitrary prop, have been interpreted by some as musings on legacy, endurance, and struggle-especially within the context of the rap game, in which footwear can often hold a decent amount of cultural weight.
Nike Air Force 1s aren’t mere tennis shoes; in hip-hop culture, they mean status, style, and power. But the ones that Lamar chose to base his cover aren’t clean or pristine or new; they’re worn out, beat down. The beat-up state of the sneakers also might be interpreted by some fans as a metaphor for his journey within the dreary music industry, or further-a more general talk on genre conditions, an art form which has its share of successes and hardships.
Others have looked to more personal interpretations: Could this be a moresubtle way for Lamar to speak on past rap beefs or tension within the hip-hop community?
At least one fan has speculated that the worn sneakers could suggest “walking in another’s shoes,” and thus a sense of empathy or looking back on the beefs from past. Of course, hip-hop beefs are often metaphorical as much as they are literal, and it’s partially Lamar’s utilization of the banal to incite such fervor that renders his musicianship so provocative.
The seller, “Good2BYou,” did not comment publicly about it just yet, but he most likely was taken aback, just like the rest of us, by seeing his old shoes shine in Kendrick Lamar’s work. The surprise-to-famous status of this eBay transaction speaks to the power Lamar wields over making even the most banal moments into cultural milestones.
A Statement of Culture or Just Art?
Like much of his work, the meaning behind the sneakers is ultimately up to interpretation. For some, it’s a more-subdued look into an artist’s journey in a career that experiences quite a few figurative wear-and-tear moments. Others may still see it as highlighting the state of the music industry today, or as a reflection of the highs and lows within his own career.
What do these sneakers ultimately represent in Lamar’s expanded artistic vision? Can this be yet another layer of Kendrick’s complex observations on culture and legacy, struggling with a fluctuating landscape while trying to remain relevant?
Only Kendrick Lamar knows for real. Yet, as ever, he’s left us all with something: a worn pair of sneakers upon which may rest the weight of an entire career-perhaps even a whole culture.
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