50 Cent became one of the earliest rappers to have his own sneaker with the launch of the G-Unit x Reebok G6 in 2003, and a former member of the rap group has confirmed the line will make a return this summer.
Tony Yayo confirmed the G-Unit x Reebok comeback Thursday in an appearance on the podcast “The Real Report.” Although he didn’t specify which shoe will be revived, the most logical choice would be the G6, a model that had a chokehold on the sneaker scene in the early 2000s.
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Another crossover between hip-hop and sneakers was revitalized this year, as Reebok rereleased the Board Flip sneaker it made in collaboration with Pharrell’s Ice Cream label in 2005.
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The sportswear brand led the charge in rappers getting their own footwear, as Jay-Z’s Reebok S. Carter launched in 2003 and was the brand’s fastest selling sneaker of all-time. Run D.M.C. had signed an endorsement deal with Adidas long prior, but that partnership was largely centered on the Superstar. In 2009, Kanye West would then become the first rapper to actually design his own sneaker with the release of the first Air Yeezy.
“When we started selling shoes, the G-Unit shoes and Sean Carter shoes, that was a response to losing the bidding war to LeBron [James],” 50 Cent told Power 106 in 2012. “[Then-chairman and CEO Paul Fireman] decided to do lifestyle branding. He brought me, Jay-[Z], Daddy Yankee, and a few other people in. That probably was a huge success for me. I sold over $3.8 million [in] pairs of sneakers.”
Fashion’s years-long indulgence in aughts nostalgia could provide fertile ground for a G-Unit x Reebok revival, and the sneakers would prove a natural match for the baggy jeans that were also trendy more than 20 years ago.
Timothée Chalamet was ahead of the news, as he sported a pair of G-Unit x Reebok boots in December as part of his “Marty Supreme” promotional tour.