Image via Lil Yachty/Instagram
William Reed loves being a joint, it’s fantastic.
Earlier this month, Lil Yachty unveiled his sneaker collaboration with Nike at ComplexCon. Things didn’t go as planned. During a “Sneaker of the Year” live panel discussion, Yatchy melted down upon realizing that one of his critics was present in the audience.
The backstory is that Bimma Williams, a respected sneaker industry insider, posted a video to Instagram where he called Yachty’s sneaker collaboration boring and unnecessary. He called out Yatchy’s claim of being “hip-hop’s biggest sneakerhead” and challenged the nautical enthusiast’s lack of knowledge about the roots of hip-hop.
“He tried to make it seem as if like ‘this n***a can’t make a shoe because he doesn’t respect the culture,” Yachty ranted. “What the fuck are you talking about n***a? I’ve been into this sneaker shit for 15 years – when I had five cents to my name. I can tell you about any kind of shoe. You clearly don’t know my history on sneakers and how involved I am in this shit.”
As Yachty continued to complain onstage, tensions (sort of) rose. The Atlanta rapper somehow compared Bimma’s comments about his sneaker release to internal issues within the Black community. In some convoluted way, he was trying to complain that a negative opinion is indicative of a lack of support and jealousy towards our own. Then Yachty challenged Bimma to fight him backstage.
These remarks are the bow on top of a corny three-month display of character. Yachty was recently at the center of a viral yet insignificant controversy for being a terrible friend and coworker towards A Safe Place podcast’s co-host, Mitch – as well as publicly disassociating himself and his label from Karrahbooo, the only female rapper signed to Concrete Boys. Sigh.
The question you might be wondering is why does any of this matter? In the cosmic scheme of things, this most certainly does not. But on a cultural level, it’s the latest attack on the notion of expertise. Paradoxically, there are more opinions than ever before. Streaming, reaction video, and podcast culture has become pervasive, which has led to a race to the bottom where people rush to say the most controversial and clout-chasing statements possible.Simultaneously, the number of astute, conscientious and thoughtful cultural critics are in shorter supply than ever before. And Bimma Williams – who has worked with Nike, Adidas, Saucony, and YEEZY – is exactly the sort of person who deserves to have an opinion that carries weight.
Full transparency; I am not a sneakerhead. I like dumbass bulky designer shoes like Rick Owens and Balenciagas, or subtle but expensive dress shoes (Maison Margiela, Prada) that stroke my ego and get me compliments from the fashion girlies. To quote my favorite rapper, Drakeo, “he wears Givenchy, he don’t even fit J’s.” Maybe I’m not necessarily the perfect person to critique Yachty and Nike’s recycling of the Air Force 1. But I also think that Bimma was right.
As a culture, we need to be able to have knowledgeable voices who can see past the empty hype and shrill marketing. And what Bimma said wasn’t totally disrespectful: it was well thought-out and funny (“he probably thinks Wu-Tang is a hot sauce”). A valid opinion from a reputable member of the sneaker community that highlighted another failed Nike collaboration with an artist who probably had decent intentions but was clearly punching above their weight. Having worked with Kanye West, I’m sure Bimma understands the fragility of an artist’s ego, so Yachty’s response may have been expected in some capacity.
Nonetheless, Bimma was correct, Yachty’s Nike collab is uninspired. We’re talking about the Air Force 1 here – the best and most timeless sneaker ever conceived, one that appeals to every demographic and cleanly fits any variation of style or status. It’s a symbol that will never go out of style.
Even the name of the shoe itself was taken from United States Air Force aircraft that carries the president. It has historically highlighted Nike’s design team’s clear and effective statements: demanding the same level of respect and dignity for this particular sneaker as demanded by any official carrier of the leader of the free world (at least it used to). Nike took a grandiose, somewhat cocky risk, and was rewarded with the creation of a classic shoe forever etched in sneaker history.
Unfortunately, Nike hasn’t necessarily done the best job safeguarding the sanctity and reputation of its classic silhouette. After all, this is late capitalist America and Nike’s annual revenue is north of $50 billion: more money, more problems. The Oregon behemoth has long green-lit collaborations with celebrities, fashion houses, musicians and brands. A few of these collaborations even birthed creative, trendy, and refreshing takes on the classic sneaker – such as the Nike Off White collaboration, the Nike Fragment Design collaboration, or more recently, the Nike Tiffany & Co. collaboration. Other collaborations completely missed and felt unnecessary. See Nike and POW’s favorite mob boss turned rapper, Drake, the gaudy Nike-Louis Vuitton collaboration, and yes, the recently released Lil Yachty and Nike team up.
When asked to do a Nike collaboration, there’s always the need to do a memorable take, especially when you’re using the iconic, of-imitated AF1 silhouette. And if you can’t do it just use a different silhouette! I’m all for artistic risks, but once the art is released to the public, it no longer belongs to you. Congratulations on the honor of having your own Nike sneaker, Boat, but don’t get mad when people criticize your half-baked attempt.
Anyone with a passing understanding of the intersection of hip-hop and sneaker culture knows that Yatchy’s Nike collaboration very blatantly pulled inspiration from the 2000 Roc-a-Fella Nike’s. The Roc’s logo represented hip-hop and Black greatness in itself, so placing the logo on an otherwise plain all-white AF1 made sense. Two iconic brands that have both withstood the test of time collaborated to deliver a statement piece to memorialize the success of both entities. It was tasteful. And it’s worth noting that the original shoes were actually gifted to the members of the Roc; they didn’t ask or even design the shoes themselves.
If Yachty is the self-proclaimed sneakerhead that he says he is, he knows what a clean white AF1 represents. And even if he tried to soften the tone by adding the navy blue to the sneaker, this is still a white AF1 with the Concrete Boys logo boldly displayed on the sneaker. And if we’re being honest, the best thing to come out of the label (so far) was Karaboo, and she’s apparently not even from the set anymore.
It’s true that Yachty and Bimma have since patched up their differences, and Yachty himself acknowledged that his rant was “corny.” That’s a start. But we need to use that as a opening for artists to be respectful towards anyone who conveys a reasonable, respectful, and intelligent opinion (a “good critic” if you will). Challenging grown men to squabble up during a panel discussion over a well-thought out opinion isn’t at all mature. You can’t claim to hate “black men that tear down other black men” for engagement online, and conveniently ignore that Bimma publicly announced in 2020 that he had left Nike to focus on Claima Stories’s mission to “help black and brown creatives discover their dream careers.”
Bimma took a risk and left one of the biggest companies in the world to help Black people. Would Yachty even slightly change anything about his current luxury lifestyle to help the black community? I’ll save my full opinion on Dr. Umar for a later time, but when he was a guest on his now defunct podcast, he did give Yachty very clear and logical ways in which he could help can help the Black community.
Black man to black man, my brother, please stop being so over emotional and easily upsettable. Stop resorting to inviting people to violence, especially for simply having a differing opinion, and please stop doing so in a public setting. Black people are not a monolith, but unfortunately, a large section of the world views us as violent, aggressive, and impulsive. So when we get into elevated spaces and act a damn fool– after the centuries of unfair treatment and abuse our ancestors endured that allowed us to even have a seat at these tables – we’re doing a disservice to not only ourselves, but to all black men who aspire and work hard to be in these positions of fortune and favor.
I’m guilty of overreacting in the past. Anyone who knows me knows that I was hot-headed when I was younger, but I’d like to think I’ve matured and learned that it’s never worth it. The best response is no response. So it’s welcome to see that Yachty extend the olive branch to Bimma and apologize for his outburst. Bimma is an expert. He’s earned the right to criticize any collaboration he damn well pleases. And even if he didn’t, remember, it’s just a shoe.
