Nelly Fans Rally After A$AP Rocky's Bold Air Force 1 Claim

BYMitch Findlay22.9K Views
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Nelly
Like "Candyman," if one says "Air Force 1s" three times in front of a mirror, legend has it that Nelly will appear -- bandaid and all.

Though Nelly hasn't been quite so active as he once was back in the early millennium, his fans have remained unwaveringly loyal to the St. Louis legend. So much so than when news broke that A$AP Rocky had reportedly taken credit for popularizing Nike's iconic Air Force 1 sneaker, the Lunatic army came through in defiant droves. It didn't take long for a stern reminder to be issued by hundreds of voices, many of whom were quick to point to Nelly, and by extension the St. Lunatics, as the true innovators in that department.

Lest we forget that in 2002, Nelly launched his sophomore album Nellyville with the classic single "Air Force 1s." Thanks to an infectious chorus heavy on the drawl, the Nike shoe quickly became a hot ticket item -- especially for suburban fans who were only just delving into the world of sneaker culture. Clearly, the fans didn't take kindly to Rocky's presumptuous claim, as a perusal through Twitter has indicated.

And while Rocky's narrative was swiftly dispelled, at least by one vocal demographic, Just Blaze took a moment to lay down his own perspective on the topic. "Respectfully, rocky and Nelly are homies.But we have BEEN doing them out here," he maintains, alluding to his come up in New Jersey. "And I would venture to say that us doing them as far back we did is reason why we got a song about them needing 2 purr in the Midwest. STYLES TRAVEL. Hov didn’t “baby suit, white Nike her”for this."

If not for anything, it's interesting to see how ride-or-die Nelly's fans remain, a testament to the impact of his epic run all those years ago. Where do you stand on the topic -- did Nelly first put "Air Force 1s" on your radar? 


About The Author
<b>Feature Editor</b> <!--BR--> Mitch Findlay is a writer and hip-hop journalist based in Montreal. Resident old head by default. Enjoys writing Original Content about music, albums, lyrics, and rap history. His favorite memories include interviewing J.I.D and EarthGang at the "Revenge Of The Dreamers 3" studio sessions in Atlanta and receiving a phone call from Dr. Dre. In his spare time he makes horror movies.
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