In my first post I talked about being a B-boy, but never mentioned how being a b-boy also influenced my passion for sneakers. As superficial as it sounds, what a b-boy/b-girl wears on their feet can make or break their persona.
My personal favorites are classic hip hop sneaker icons. Adidas Superstar, Puma Suede, and Pro-keds Royal low & Royal hi. I'm what, my wife calls, a hip hop "purist", which means I try to uphold the essence of hip hop by being critical of literally everything that ends up falling under the hip hop umbrella, but I digress.
I would describe my b-boy style as raw b-boy flavor, straight to the point kind of style. My bboy inspirations were/are B-boy Ken swift (Rock Steady Crew), B-boy E-swift (Rock So Fresh), and my OG crew-mate B-boy Sumo roc (Rock So Fresh, Illest villains). They taught me pretty much everything I know about Breakin' from the history of hip hop to the way bboys dressed. How do I dress as a bboy? its inspired by westcoast G-funk style paired with the shoes I have on my feet, as long as it looks good. When I'm choosing a shoe for bboying I don't stray to far from original bboy style, these are my go-to bboy shoes.
Adidas Superstar
The Adidas superstar was made popular by the hip hop group RUN DMC. Tough, durable, and a classic, they feature a full leather upper, rubber midsole and outsole, rounded out by a rubber toe cap. Superstars are popular among bboys/bgirls, with many styles and colors to choose from and at a fairly cheap price point ($80). Superstars were, at one point, my only go-to bboy shoes.
PUMA Suede
Style, comfort, surprisingly durable. My personal absolute favorite shoe to bboy in, I love everything about this shoe: Full suede upper, fat laces, soft rubber outsole/midsole, and a comfortable insole for step in comfort. I'll add more Suedes to my arsenal as this year goes on.
PRO-KEDS Royal Lo
I did not know Pro-keds were even a shoe brand until I was educated on the history of hip hop. Worn by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Pete Maravich, Pro-keds were considered a basketball shoe, now known as an iconic hip hop sneaker. The Royal Low and Hi feature a canvas upper, rubber midsole, gum outsole, rounded out by a rubber toe cap. Not my favorite, but a classic nonetheless. Currently Pro-keds are only available in The Royal low and hi with different materials on the upper.
-RAWfiki
