Rap and hip-hop and sneaker culture have been closely linked since Run-D.M.C. dropped “My Adidas” back in 1986. Speaking to that relationship, a new study conducted by Schuh has found which rappers have referenced sneakers the most in their music. After analyzing over 6,000 song lyrics, the study concluded that The Game, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Eminem and Kanye West are the top five artists with the most references in their songs to the sneakers and sneaker brands they favor.
The Game tops the list with 47 references to sneakers throughout his discography over the past two decades. The Compton rapper has been known to namedrop Nike and Converse (Chucks are famously a West Coast shoe).
Lil Wayne comes in second with 46 sneaker references while Jay-Z lands in third place with 37 mentions. Lil Wayne shows love for The Swoosh 17 times. Noteworthy is Jay-Z’s feature on Drake’s 2013 song “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2,” in which he declares, “My eyes bloodshot but my jet don’t lag/A pair of Jordan 3s tryna chase this cash.”
Watch on FN
Eminem and Kanye West nearly tie, with Slim Shady delivering 35 references and West following closely behind with 34. In “Shady XV” circa 2014, Eminem raps, “Air Max in my closet, preposterous Nikes made out of ostrich.” Regarding Kanye West, the rapper has actually called out Nike more than Adidas despite working with The Three Stripes for years. Naturally, he also name-checks his own brand Yeezy on a number of occasions.
For sneakerheads, it won’t come as much of a surprise that Nike is the brand that gets the most mentions in rap lyrics (149), followed by Converse (52) and Adidas (41).
