The Best Air Max 95 Lyrical Drops in Hip-Hop

You know what they say—a sneaker ain’t ‘officially official’ until it gets name dropped in a hip-hop song. If you look at the history of both hip-hop and sneakers you will see that both respective cultures rose to fame during the 1990s with rap and urban streetwear going hand-in-hand. Naturally, rappers would need a hot shoe to coordinate with their dope outfits, and that of course is where sneakers would come into play. By now most of you probably know that Jordans were the most popular shoe choice (especially since MJ was still playing at that time), but the ‘Air Max 95s’ were a huge seller as well. The ‘95s’ featured innovative technology, groundbreaking designs, and were able to transform over time into more of a ‘style shoe’ thanks in part to its hip-hop and entertainment influences. On that note, here are 8 different ‘Air Max 95’ lyrical drops in Hip-Hop that were absolutely ill. Get your AirPods ready.

Jeezy loves ‘Air Max 95s’ almost as much as he loves ‘Air Force 1s,’ and emphasized that on his single ‘All There,” where Bankroll Fresh dropped a dope 'Air Max" reference. Jeezy has always been recognized for his heavy influence on hip-hop fashion (I.E. the snowman t-shirts that got every high school student sent to ISS), and while we may see Jeezy in suits a little more these days, his kick game remains very strong.

This line was iconic because as mentioned earlier, ‘Air Max 95s’ are not really considered a gym shoe anymore, and have since transitioned into a style sneaker. This line comes from the classic Gucci track 'Bricks', which makes you want to rock a fresh pair of ‘95s’ so you can drive in style.

Nas is another hip-hop legend respected for his dope fits and clean kicks. There has been a long-standing discussion over the years about which city started the trend of women wearing men’s sneakers with their outfits. There is also another debate as to why women (especially back then) often choose to wear men’s shoes as opposed to women’s. Those topics are a different article for a different day, but Nas made it clear in this track that he likes his ladies with a nice pair of jeans and ‘Air Max 95s.’

One of the most legendary hip-hop songs of all-time. 50 Cent and The Game made it known that the underdogs were going to ‘always be on top’—especially if they had on a pair of ‘Air Max 95s.’

“M-m-m-maybach Music.” Rick Ross aka ‘Ricky Rose’ is heavily into the sneaker game collaborating with Dwyane Wade in 2019 to release ‘The Way of Wade 7s.’ Ross has a whole closet (yes a closet) devoted to his sneakers which includes many iterations of the ‘Air Max 95s.’ You can listen to 'Drop Top Music' here.

When two New York sneakerheads link up for a record, you already know there is going to be at least one sneaker reference dropped in there. Fab name drops the neon green ‘95’ colorways in 'Money Goes, Honest Stays’ amongst a slew of other brands, and Jigga Man went on to do his own rendition of the song which wound up being included on Fab’s album later that year. You can often find Fab courtside at basketball games rocking the latest releases.

2 Chainz collaborated with Versace in 2018 to release a clothing line and exclusive sneaker called the ‘2 Chain Reaction.’ So it should come as no surprise that Chainz has an enviable kick collection that most sneakerheads could only dream of. In Falcons Hawks Braves the rapper describes how he has been achieving success in the music industry since the rise of the ‘95s.’

Never under any circumstance is it okay to get a scratch on your sneaker. Cube explicitly states that in ‘Don’t Trip’ noting that he has always been one to keep his footwear in pristine condition—even before the fame and fortune. Take care of your kicks and your kicks will take care of you.

This just the beginning of a new series we have here at ONE37pm where we highlight various different sneaker references in music and entertainment culture. Stay tuned!