For the first time, Nike will be releasing the Black History Month Air Force 1′s to the general public. That’s after years and years of being done in hush-hush numbers and only given to select tastemakers. The shoes actually made a sneak debut the other night on TNT and now there’s concrete info and pictures to go along with it.

Nike Sportswear commemorates Black History Month with its newest rendition of the staple Air Force 1. Comprised of inspirational elements, the shoe touts an original design, which pays homage to the rise of Black enterprise, economic empowerment and the Harlem Renaissance individual behind this rise. The shoe’s main inspiration…is clearly imprinted onto the upper: “The definition of a renaissance individual: one who possesses a multitude of skills, talent and a broad base of knowledge.” Silhouettes of a man and woman on the sock liner and hang tag signify that the change celebrated by Black History Month was made possible only by the participation of both genders. The boldest detail of the AF1 is its colorway, black red and green – the colors of the African American flag. In the tradition of community and giving back, Nike will be making a donation to Cheyney University, the oldest Black institution in the country and a key inspiration in the creation of this shoe. The kicks drop on February 18th at a selection of the countries’ top Nike accounts.

Even if they’re a few years too late to capitalize on the trend, it’s still good to see these being made available.
[Burn Rubber]

Wow.

If you thought Late Night With Jimmy Fallon itself was bad, how about this unsettling lunch menu NBC offer(ed) ‘in honor of’ of Black History Month? Questlove obviously didn’t think too highly of it, as he TwitPic’ed the snapshot on @questlove, while pointing a big, black finger at NBC’s Public Relations department, who immediately issued a retraction.

I bet Popeyes is pissed they lost a whole month of catering.

Sports Sunday With Veezy

How To Kill The Music Industry [Torrent Freak]

The Backpack Rap Collection [Uggh...Nice Watch]

California Mayor Quits Over WatermelonGate [Jossip]

Yo Dawg I Herd U Like Memes [Zulkey]

NBA Players I Think I Could Beat In A Fight [The Blowtorch]

Legendary Broadcaster Paul Harvey Dies [CNN]

Mos Def To Guest Appear On Episode Of “House” [CL]

Meet The Republican Rapper [The Daily Beast]

Once More For Black History Month [Listen To Leon]

Twitter.com/TSS_Crew

While everyone, Al Sharpton included, is lacing up their marching shoes over the controversial “stimulus monkey” cartoon in today’s NY Post, I found this one to be just a little bit more on the “that’s just goddamn wrong” side of things.

Swiped from Afrojacks, we have a clear offender, much clearer than the last case.

Previously Posted — Black History Month…Fail

“Got a bad heart condition, Still eat hog-mogs & chitlins…”

When advertising goes wrong, I always wonder in which warehouse does the creator relocate to for their new position as stockboy. The individual who did this for the Rainbow grocery chain may have had the right intentions…but you had to know they’d catch hell for this one. Read the rest of this entry »

Nike has been releasing BHM sneakers and this time around it looks like they got it right in terms of colors used & placement. The green & red stitching accent them lovely. The only BS part about the shoes is Read the rest of this entry »