Dynamic duos in Hip-Hop thump, especially when it’s two rappers in the same camp rocking with one another. Jay-Z and Kayne’s partnership around the time of Watch The Throne (2011) comes to mind, and so does Snoop and Dre’s Cali dominance a la 1992 & 1993 (s/o to Mos Def and Talib Kweli AKA Black Star). One of the more underrated partnerships in Hip-Hop is a recent one – the pairing of Drake and Lil’ Wayne. Lets go over some background info before we jump into this week’s Sample Sunday!
They started out as the Batman and Robin of Young Money Cash Money Records as the 2010’s started, but now, they’re more like the Batman and Superman of the game. Drake’s progression needs little explaining; he’s gone from the Best You Ever Had to Running Through the Six with His Woes (purposely dated Drake reference). It’s not a stretch to claim Drake is the most influential artist in music, and subsequently, he’s become one of the most important people in footwear due to his Jordan Brand sponsorship. Since 2013 (formal partnership year) Drake and JB have dropped some of the most hyped, well received, limited kicks in years. Historically Drake’s Jays follow a clean OVO based color scheme of white, black and gold that speak to his respect of each model he works with – every OVO Jordan legitimately feels like a well execution homage to both parties.
Wayne, much like Drake has a well documented history (prolific even, forget the haters lol). Few rappers have ever released music at the clip Lil’ Wayne has (from 2004-2011 there was a mixtape, album, or feature almost every month) and even fewer have been doing it for as long (he started rapping as a kid in 1992, ’92!). The two juggernauts of Hip-Hop embarked on a limited tour in Summer ’14 dubbed Drake VS Lil’ Wayne. During the Street Fighter themed performances Drake and Lil’ Wayne would exchange verbal blows by alternating individual performances (like a vs battle) and finishing the show with combo tracks like “HYFR” and “The Motto”. At the end of every show a winner would be crowned like a true Street Fighter match (Capcom, the game’s developer supported the tour too).
Jordan Brand, Drake’s (then new) footwear partner gifted the rappers Air Jordan 3s with Street Fighter inspirations. The unreleased samples are some of the rarest around and come in two colors, white & black. For this week’s installment of Sample Sunday lets take a look at both pairs, enjoy!
Aaron Nojima
Robbie Falchi