Artist: DVD ReviewTitle: Just For Kicks (DVD)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Sidik Fofana
The first step of being a sneaker addict is admitting you have a problem. But, after
watching the new documentary Just For Kicks (Image Entertainment), you might be unsure whether getting help is really the next move. Directors Lisa Leone and Thibaut de Longeville take us into the fascinating world of Hip-Hop sneaker culture from yesterday’s flamboyant B-boys to today’s number crunching Ebay bidders. A cast of notable sneaker scholars help put the phenomenon of sneaker culture in perspective, among them Run-DMC, Bobbito Garcia, Raekwon, Jamel Shabazz, and a witty Bonz Malone who goes under the title of “official street cat”.
Just for Kicks is a fun and very informative documentary displaying all the facts and legends alike. According to the film, sneaker culture started with the breakdancers but it was not until Russell Simmons’s angel dust induced idea for a Run-DMC song called “My Adidas”, that sneaker collecting grew to epic proportions. The documentary captures every ounce of detail that portrays the experience of a sneaker fanatic from the ballers who debut their kicks at a tournament game to the pretty boys who iron out their laces. Indeed sneaker culture prides itself on well-coordinated attire or as Grandmaster Caz says in his interview, “even my draws are the same color.”
Marvelously crafted, Just for Kicks is a film that puts sneaker hunting on the map as a legitimate art. It celebrates classic kicks like the Adidas Superstars, and Nike Air Forces as staples in not only Hip-Hop but American culture at large. Even the epidemic of people getting robbed for their sneakers is carefully noted. Bonz Malone humorously recalls, “Ni**az used to get kidnapped for their sneakers, beat up, have them s#### taken from their feet, and then get slapped with the gum soles.”
Whether you’re a fly baby doll in ankle high Pumas, a old school cat hunting for throwback Converse All-Stars, or a shooting guard practicing your pull-up J in some new Nike Huaraches, this documentary will quench your thirst for poppin’ tags. If you aren’t careful, it will have you running to the store screaming, “Give me two pair!”