Fat Joe Reveals He Collects Sneakers for ‘War’ and Why People Are Going to be Mad at Him for His Nike Air Force 1 Collaboration
Given the breadth of his collection, it’s seemingly impossible for Fat Joe to name his five favorite sneakers of all time. However, if you asked him to bring five pairs at random, they’re likely to be better than most people’s grails.
Last month, with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop just a couple weeks away, Fat Joe — alongside Remy Ma — visited PMC Studio in New York City for a cover shoot with FN. During a conversation between the two, Fat Joe revealed that he collects sneakers “for war.”
“I collect for war. Not only do I collect because I love sneakers, but I wait for anybody to call me out,” Fat Joe said. “If there’s a ‘Verzuz’ of sneakers, I’m strapped. I’ve got bombs, bro. You think you have a one-of-one sneaker. I’ll bust out the sample version when they changed the leather, they changed the color. The Dior x Jordan collab that went crazy, it originally was Louis Vuitton x Jordan and Louis Vuitton backed out. I have that sneaker, the sample that they made.”
Remy Ma replied, “If there’s ever a sneaker ‘Verzuz,’ Fat Joe is ready.”
While filming conversations separately, Fat Joe, born Joseph Cartagena, discussed the five pairs of sneakers he brought to set. He also shared how much his Air Force 1 “TS” collaboration with Nike means to him.
“I’m really proud. I still haven’t grasped it. It’s like I won the Super Bowl being a shoe collector and you go, ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Disney Land.’ That’s how I feel holding these things right here,” Fat Joe said.
The highlight of the selections was the friends-and-family pair of his upcoming Nike Air Force 1 “TS” collaboration, a look executed in pink and gray hues and premium materials.
“This is still a sample, the pairs aren’t even in America yet,” he said. “This is mostly going to be given to friends and celebrities. You might see it on Kim K, Cardi B, Latto, Remy Ma or Shaq, Snoop Dogg Khaled. This is very limited. This is the pair I’m going to be in trouble for and everybody’s going to be upset with me.”
Aside from the friends-and-family pair, Fat Joe brought the two that will see retail. One colorway is white with hits of blue throughout, which he explained is Miami-inspired. “We had made a couple of these illegally 20 years ago and then I was approached by Nike to say, ‘Yo, let’s release it for real,'” he said.
The other Nike Air Force 1 “TS” look is executed in white and black — not to be confused with the “Panda” terminology used by some sneaker shoppers today.
“For kids that don’t know better, they’re calling this the ‘Panda’ Air Force One. That’s been around 20 years, way before ‘Pandas’ were created. Black and white represents Terror Squad. We’ve been official shoe collectors for 25-plus years,” Fat Joe said.
The “What’s Luv” hitmaker admitted one pair in particular that he brought to set was very dear to him: the Eastside Golf x Air Jordan 4 collaboration.
“Very rarely does Jordan team up with somebody and change the whole logo. The Eastside Golfers are two Black brothers that golf, they’re young, they’re hip-hop, they’re swagged out. They collabed with Jordan on several sneakers, as well as gear for golfing. This sneaker means a lot to me, how they freaked this whole sneaker and you see the bottom, they’re golfing and all that. This is a real unique pair.”
The final pair Fat Joe brought was an Air Jordan 1 High PE for Michigan University.
“The texture is crazy. I don’t even know what to say this is. It’s got a little gator in it but it got the shine,” he said. “I got all the pairs, every college PE edition. I’m not supposed to get my hands on them but I do have my hands on them. This is equivalent to wearing a construction Timb. Winter come, you got the blue jeans suit, you throw on the Michigan joints right here. These are crazy. I love them.”
