How Kareem ‘Biggs’ Burke And Roc-A-Fella Made The Nike Air Force 1 Hip-Hop’s Sneaker

The Air Force 1 is 35 years old and was Nike’s first basketball sneaker that had Air in the sole, but it’s much than just a shoe that was worn for its initial purpose on the hardwood and playground courts in the 1980s. It’s known for being hip-hop’s sneaker of choice in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, thanks to Roc-A-Fella Records and their love for the all-white pair, which they were known for only wearing once. Their love affair with the sneaker resulted in a collaboration with Nike on a white-on-white Air Force 1 with the Roc logo on the heel in 2004. And it’s coming back this year at ComplexCon. Roc-A-Fella co-founders Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke both grew up in Harlem, where the Air Force 1 has made the biggest cultural impact, resulting in it being coined as the “Uptown.” With their signature shoe re-releasing, we had the chance to talk to “Biggs” about what the Air Force 1 not only meant to Roc-a-Fella and Harlem, but to hip-hop throughout the decades. Read more at Complex.