10 Worst Hip-Hop Sneaker Collaborations

When sneaker brands look for athletes and entertainers to collaborate with, the criteria is strikingly similar. They want their athletes to produce on the field in the same way they want their musicians to be critically acclaimed chart toppers. Even if the results don’t fall in their favor, these brands want to ensure whoever they sign has an undeniable connection with the audience that generates merch sales, from head to toe.

The list of legendary collaborations in the hip-hop and sneaker world is a crowded one. Think about Rihanna’s ongoing partnership with Puma , adidas and RUN DMC showing the world how to properly not tie their shoes at all, or Nike’s relationship with Kanye West that ran very hot for a brief moment in time and resulted in sneakers people still talk about to this day. These projects have become so prevalent that some of the greatest entries in a sneaker’s history are littered with collabs from these artists.

However, for every banger, there are clunkers. From poor marketing and lackluster design to good old-fashioned bad luck, these collabs had flaws that prevented them from being great. We’re not just ranking the worst-looking sneakers, either. The story that came along with them is what put them over the top – or is it or under the bottom?

10. Drake - Nike NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra

Blame Pusha T for this one. If Drake’s deal with adidas had come to fruition, maybe we’re spared this uninspired debut NOCTA sneaker that feels like a leftover from the “mash-up everything” Nike Sportswear era of the early 2010s. Then again, we don’t get “Story Of Adidon,” which eventually leads to Kendrick Lamar performing “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl. So really, it all worked out for the best for all parties…

When Drake teased a then-unknown Hot Step Air Terra in the “Laugh Now Cry Later” music video that turned Nike HQ in Beaverton into his own personal safe space, the sneaker world was buzzing with anticipation. Whether it was genuine excitement because one of the biggest artists in the world was finally releasing a Nike signature shoe or we were just bored out of our minds since we were stuck at home during the pandemic, Nike seemed poised to capitalize on their biggest signee in a minute. And they would have capitalized, if they had released the sneakers earlier. Unfortunately, it would take over a year before the Hot Step Air Terra would arrive at SNKRS and that OVO store at The Grove in Los Angeles. By then, the demand had muted as sneakerheads spent every subsequent leak and teaser overanalyzing and critiquing the sneaker. NOCTA would rebound on the design front with the Zoom Flight 95-inspired NOCTA Glide and even the NOCTA Hot Step 2, but the damage from Pusha’s diss and the delayed launch have still proven difficult to overcome.

9. Travis Scott - Nike Air Force 1 Utopia

Purists might scoff at the idea that an entertainer could ever join the likes of Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and LeBron James by having a building at Nike HQ named after them. But at the rate he’s going, Travis Scott will undoubtedly have one within the next decade. Maybe he didn’t win a gold medal or bring home a championship or set a world record while wearing the Swoosh on his person, but Travis delivered for Nike with sales, impressions, hype, and other metrics that no athlete on their roster can match. Yes, that includes Michael, Serena, and LeBron. Travis has that golden connection with his audience where every sneaker that bears the Cactus Jack logo becomes an event. And that includes the bad ones. And boy, there have been some bad ones.

To celebrate the Utopia album drop in 2023, Travis gave the fans a crispy white Air Force 1 that happened to have some scribbles on the heel. No special embroidery, no debossing, no holographic or iridescent finish to make it look like someone did more work than drawing the Utopia and Cactus Jack logos. If you thought the Supreme x Nike Air Force 1 set the bar for how lazy a collab could be, Travis dared to go lower. Mission accomplished. The worst part? It retailed for $150 but came in a standard AF1 box and even had the regular SKU from the GR white-on-white Air Force 1 that’s always on shelves.

8. Wu-Tang Clan - ALIFE Everybody Hi

Sure, everybody knows about the Wu-Tang Dunks. The long-awaited release of one of sneaker culture’s holy grails was a celebratory moment for fans of the iconic group, not to mention students and alumni at the University of Iowa. But what do you know about the unofficial flip version? In 2007, ALIFE teamed up with the Wu-Tang Clan on a capsule collection that included apparel, gear, and an Everybody Hi sneaker in yellow and black.

With a shape, cut, and vibe that screams, “We like Dunks, let’s make our own Dunks,” the only thing missing from the Wu-Tang Everybody Hi was a swoosh. Now before someone starts snitching to Nike over a nearly 20-year-old niche sneaker, there were enough tweaks to the design that more than likely would have cleared any legal challenges. The problem is those changes like the croc-skin upper and the gaudy tongue branding made the sneaker less homage and more parody.

7. Funkmaster Flex - Lugz FMF1

When people think about that hilariously awkward interview between Tyler, The Creator and Funkmaster Flex from 2019, they go to the freestyle or some of the other goofy bits in the video. I go to Tyler's sudden realization that Flex was the guy who wore Lugz.

Like Tyler, I read XXL Magazine. When I saw ads of Flex rocking the Lugz FMF 1 driving boot, I would calculate how cool it would be to wear those kinds of boots in Southern California with a beige 1999 Toyota Corolla. Realizing it wouldn’t be that cool, the boots stayed in the pages of those magazines. And judging from Flex’s reaction after Tyler’s epiphany, he seems to be ok with having left that part of his life behind.

6. The Game - 310 Hurricane

Sadly, The Game’s short-lived stint at G-Unit did not include a spinoff Reebok sneaker. But he would not be without a sneaker connection for long as he signed with 310 Motoring Footwear in 2005, a lifestyle spinoff for 310 Motoring, a rising name in the auto customization world. Landing an artist with The Game’s momentum at the time could have been a game-changer for the upstart brand. Well, it would have been a game-changer if the sneakers were any good.

With an uninspired design and a logo that looks very similar to then-WWE wrestler The Hurricane Shane Helms, the Hurricane sneakers failed to reach the heights of The Game’s musical output at the time. If The Game peaked with The Documentary and Doctor’s Advocate, then the Hurricane sneakers (yes, there was a Hurricane 2) were like the mixtapes he dropped through the years with varying degrees of quality and forgettability.

5. Lil Wayne - Supra Chimera

Here’s a fun little anecdote: back in 2013, I saw the Supra Chimera for the first time during the Magic Fashion Trade Show in Las Vegas by accident. Someone had placed the Chimera on the shelves of the Supra booth a little too early and I happened to be walking past the area. Upon catching it from the back of my eye, my head did a cartoon-like recoil as I could not believe the abomination of leather, suede, rubber, and mesh that somehow formed something resembling footwear. Within a minute of examining the shoe, I was sent on my merry way by the kind people working the booth before covering up the entire space. Turns out, there were rumors Lil Wayne was going to be in attendance later in the day. Not that Wayne’s endorsement could have saved that disaster as the sneaker would make every “Worst of 2013” list imaginable. Keep in mind, 2013 gave us the Weatherman Foamposites and they were still nowhere as egregious as the aptly named Chimeras.

4. Nelly - Reebok Derrty 1

Nelly’s not wrong when he says that his hit song “Air Force Ones” paved the way for artists like Kanye West and Travis Scott to find success at The Swoosh. It’s just that in the early 2000s, Nike wasn’t going to make anything official with Nelly or any other entertainer; they were content to send him free sneakers and helping pay for his tours. It even went as far as creating a special edition “Air Derty” Nike Air Max CB94, a sneaker that will never so much as sniff this list. But an official Nike deal? Nah, that’s more Reebok’s lane, and Nelly became a Bok Boy in 2005. The result of the partnership was the Reebok Derrty 1 - a stunningly mediocre attempt at replicating the energy of an Air Force 1 - and a quintessential 2000s party that had celebrities like Ice Cube taking pictures with Lydia Hearst, daughter of Patty Hearst.

3. Kid Cudi - Giuseppe Zanotti Puffy Strap

2014 was a transformative year for designer Giuseppe Zanotti. The longtime luxury footwear veteran with 30 years of experience at the time had won the Footwear News Achievement Award for Designer of the Year. His sneakers and heels were seen on the feet of stars like Rihanna, Kanye West, 2 Chainz, and many others. The brand he worked so hard to build up sold a minority stake to luxury megacorp LVMH. And then there was this new sneaker that was seemingly inspired by Kid Cudi’s style…

If you’re Cudi, you have two choices: you post about how honored you are that a world-famous designer was so moved by your personal style that he felt compelled to make something with you in mind. Or you tell the truth. With enough leather and padding that it could be used as a headrest on a reclining sofa set, the jokes were coming in hot for both Cudi and Zanotti. Ultimately, what matters is that Cudi appeared to be genuinely appreciative of Zanotti’s work. Not many people can say they became a muse to a top-level designer, no matter how the project ultimately turned out.

2. Ye - YZY Pods

No matter what Ye does, he will always have his true believers. When he put the YZY Pods up for preorder at a $200 price point, they claimed he could justify the number. Why? Because of his genius and name recognition. Anything less would be devaluing him when other luxury brands make sock shoes for double or even triple the price of the Pods. When the price dropped to $20 and anybody who paid $200 got a $180 refund, they said this was another 4D chess move. His ultimate goal all along was to sell everything he makes at an affordable price. Anything more would be anathema to the goal of spurning luxury brands who for so long have fooled people into thinking these high-priced goods buy them status. In their minds, it’s 2010 and Ye is still the central force that everything orbits around and what he says, does, and wears dictates how everybody else should move.

Meanwhile, the rest of us have moved on with our lives and all we see is a sock with two rubber pods glued to them. It’s the depths of apathy passing off as jeen-yuhs. Easy work if you can get it, but the rest of us non-believers demand just a little bit more.

1. Soulja Boy - YUMS

Despite his reputation as hip-hop’s perpetual punchline, Soulja Boy did make things happen for himself. After the breakthrough success of “Crank That,” he managed to follow it up with “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and “Turn My Swag On.” I’ve heard of neither and have zero plans to add them to our weekly Spotify playlist [Editor’s Note: WHAT????!!!] but I respect the fact that both songs actually charted and he was technically able to escape the one-hit wonder label. And let’s never forget his collaboration with the YUMS sneaker brand, not to be confused with the YUM! Brands that own around half of your favorite fast food joints. In 2008, YUMS released a whole suite of candy-colored Air Force 1-adjacent sneakers endorsed by Soulja Boy that probably had Bathing Ape looking at it sideways. With its most distinguishing feature being the fun graphics that could be found on the bottoms of the sneakers, it was an attempt to ride a wave that ultimately didn’t pan out.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com