One of Reebok’s biggest collaborations was with rapper Kendrick Lamar. At a time when sneaker collaborations were largely a gimmick, Lamar brought cultural relevance to his collabs, helping develop designs infused with personal meaning.
Kendrick Lamar’s Reebok shoes in red and blue were a nod to his hometown of Compton, CA. Specifically, the colors allude to gang conflict between the “Bloods,” represented by red, and the “Crips,” who were associated with blue. He used his Reebok collaborations to call for peace between the gangs, even emblazoning the word neutral on the inner tongue of his Reebok Ventilator design.
Kendrick Lamar’s shoe designs positioned Reebok as a competitor in the collectible sneaker industry. His limited edition releases have become coveted centerpieces of many sneaker collections.
Today, Kendrick Lamar Reebok shoes can be found among some of the most iconic sneakers in Hollywood. Though they’re hard to come by new, you can find some limited releases of Kendrick Lamar Reebok shoes on eBay or other fashion resale platforms. But if you want any of Kendrick Lamar’s new Reebok shoes, you’ll need to be ready to preorder as soon as they drop, or you might miss out.