dj-am-undefeated-tshirt
They don’t make Undefeated shirts for just anyone yaknow.

After escaping death’s grasps previously, reports are out that DJ AM has passed away. With the internets, you can never be 100% certain but if this is true, it’s a nice, sharp rabbit punch to the kidneys for two of communities where I hold dual citizenship: Hip-Hop & sneakers.

Others will remember him solely as a DJ, but I first ran across him as a member of The Air Mack Crew. If it was exclusive, AM, Ben & Homicide had it…or had it custom made. Nearly deified in sneaker circles, AM had the added cool of knockin’ off Nicole Ritchie when her & Paris Hilton were BFF’s. To most within the shoe community, he was “a real sneakerhead,” not like the entertainers you see now who try to force their cool. He was cool. When he was on MTV, there wasn’t the usual internet content. It was more a thought of “yeah, AM’s up there rockin’ the J’s right!”

Musically, I do not exaggerate when I tell you Fix Your Face Volumes One & Two were enough to solidify AM’s standing musically with me. Both were mixes helmed by some 80′s babies. Kids who grew up on two handfuls of genres of music & weren’t afraid to let their influences shine, showcasing the hardest of rock next to the best of rap.

What he did as a DJ didn’t really cross over into mainstream Hip-Hop’s media attention, but anyone who’s heard or seen a live set by the man will tell you he was official. From the one or two passing convo’s I had with him years ago, I knew it then while were talking about kicks & crates that the skinny Jewish dude’s love for both weren’t to be questioned. And because he was humble, he forever had me in his corner as a supporter.

God bless the dead. Adam, you’re still the #1 celebrity shoehead in my humble opinion.

I’m ready for the summer of 2009, the summer of celebrity death to go away.

*Prepares to crank FYF V2*

DJ AM Found Dead in Manhattan [NBC New York]