Burna Boy’s Top Picks

Last week, Burna Boy, visited Kick Game for the latest episode of Shopping For Sneakers. During the interview, the globally acclaimed artist discussed the hidden meanings behind his latest album ‘Love, Damini’ as well as showing off some of his TikTok trending dance moves. 

Moving onto the sneakers, Burna certainly was an advocate for Checks over Stripes with a key affirmation for Jordan Brand and what his cousin calls ‘G Phaseos’ (AKA Air Force 1s) as well as the ‘deep pocket sneakers’ sitting on the grail wall. 

Finally, the reason Burna Boy came to the store - to buy some sneakers. Below is a closer look at some of the best pairs from his shopping experience:

Air Jordan 4 ‘Cement’ - One of the greatest sneakers of all time. When the Air Jordan 4 was released in 1989, Tinker Hatfield had taken Jordan Brand to new heights, literally, when MJ made the NBAs highest vertical jump at 42 inches wearing the Air Jordan 3 in 1988. The way in which MJ flew to the rim inspired the design of the Air Jordan 4, with Hatfield adding wings to the medial and lateral sides as well as writing ‘Flight’ underneath the iconic Jumpman logo on the tongue. 

The ‘Cement’ colourway of the Air Jordan 4 is widely regarded to be one of the best, as it was one of the four original pairs upon the silhouettes debut. While the Air Jordan 3 showcased the synonymous ‘Elephant Print Leather’, the AJ4 featured the ‘Cement’ detailing along the midsole, wings and heel tab that has continued to play a role in many Nike and Jordan releases. 

PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1 ‘Paranoise’ 2.0 - Expression and wearability is key with the PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1. Released in 2020, following the initial black pair from 2019, Kwon Ji-Yong (AKA G-Dragon) created what is effectively a wearable piece of art. As the sneaker is worn over time, the paint from the upper comes away to reveal an intricate design underneath. 

The South Korean artists' brand ‘PEACEMINUSONE’ is built on creativity and art. Debuted in 2015, the brand held an exhibition Seoul Museum of Art named peaceminusone: Beyond the Stage and aimed to showcase G-Dragon's perspective on the world around him. Details from his brand, including the Daisy, can be found on the sneakers tongue.

Union x Nike Air Jordan 4 ‘Off Noir’ - Following Union LA's critically acclaimed Air Jordan 1 collaboration from 2018, the follow-up returned with another refreshing take on a popular Air Jordan silhouette. When leaked images of the sneaker first began to circulate, the response was far from positive with the internet exploding with opinions on the design, colourway and altered tongue. However, upon official images, those opinions quickly began to change.

Gibbs’ approach for the sneaker was to incorporate features from previous models of ’80s and ‘90s basketball sneakers including thick suede materials around the midfoot and a plush, chunky, mesh on the toebox. Additionally, taking from old school basketball culture, Gibbs designed the tongue so it would be stitched down similar to how players would do it when he was growing up due to the extended length. While met with mixed responses, the tongue could be unstitched and further showcased the brand's attention to detail. 

Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Mummy’ - It’s become a tradition for Nike to release Halloween-inspired sneakers around the holiday including the Air Force 1 ‘Skeleton’ and the Night of Mischief Dunk Low. As the prior helps to prove, the SB Dunk is the perfect canvas for sneaker collaborations and playful reworking (see more on the SB Dunk here). 

The 2021 SB Dunk Low ‘Mummy’ is no different. Featuring a tearaway gauze upper with untrimmed edges sitting atop a glow-in-the-dark semi-translucent midsole, the overall design is another example of the SBs intriguing history. 

OFF-White Air Jordan 5 ‘Sail’ - While not a part of Virgil Abloh’s original ‘The Ten’ collection with Nike during the first collaboration with OFF-White, the Air Jordan 5 still garners incredibly high praise going on to be featured in many outlets’ sneakers of the year list. While there were two colourways of the 1990 silhouette, the ‘Sail’ variant utilises Abloh’s deconstructed approach with an aged, worn, upper alongside a myriad of additional detailing throughout.

Nike Air Force 1 ‘Triple White’ - When discussing the greatest sneaker of all time, only a handful of options come to mind: the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Jordan 4 and the Air Force 1, to name a few. After its initial release in 1982, the now beloved sneaker was at first discontinued just two years later in 1984 due to lack of popularity. However, a further two years on, the basketball-turned lifestyle silhouette designed by Bruce Kilgore, returned and has since become a mainstay in almost every collection. 

Named after the president's personal plane, the AF1 was the first Nike sneaker to include their Nike Air technology within the midsole - a small air unit that would provide further comfort when playing on the court. 

Despite initially arriving in a hightop variant with a silver metallic Swoosh on the medial and lateral sides, it’s the triple white rendition that has kept fans hooked with some going as far as switching out a pair after one to two wears. 

Air Jordan 6 Infrared - Another classic on the receipt. The Air Jordan 6 ‘Infrared’ takes its inspiration from MJ’s luxury personal life. Originally debuted in 1991, the AJ6 showcased a nubuck leather upper with the addition of a spoiler on the heel, taking inspiration from Jordan’s Porsche. However, the features that gave the sneaker its name were the bright ‘Infrared’ hits throughout the shoe found around the semi-translucent midsole as well as on the lace tab, the Jumpman logo on the tongue and on the heel spoiler. 

Over time, the model has been lovingly retroed with the inclusion of the 3M hints within the punctured upper and the signature tongue that was also seen on the MF Doom Nike Dunk High. 

Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 High - Travis Scott has become one of, if not the, most popular Nike collaborators of all time. Steadily racking up an evergrowing list of releases from the Air Jordan Trunner in 2017 and Air Jordan 33 in 2019 to the most recently released Air Jordan 1 Low ‘Reverse Mocha’, Scott seems to captivate thousands of fans each and every time he releases a new project with an estimated 1 million signups for the raffle to win his Air Max 1 collab within the 30-minute timeframe. 

The most popular of all his releases however, is without a doubt the first Air Jordan 1 the Houston rapper released in 2019. Featuring the reverse Swoosh first used by Dennis Rodman on his 1994 signature sneaker the ‘Nike Air Darwin’, the AJ1 release came out just as the artists' popularity was also beginning to bubble up garnering insane popularity to this day. 

Featuring additional details including small ‘Cactus Jack’ iconography throughout the shoe in addition to the use of premium tumbled leather, smooth brown overlays and what was the beginning of the still ongoing ‘aged’ trend, the Travis Scott AJ1 was an instant classic. 

If you are yet to watch the latest episode of Shopping For Sneakers featuring Burna Boy, make sure to check it out now by clicking here and make sure to be the first to know when a new video drops by subscribing and turning on notifications!