The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 386 — RIP DJ Clark Kent 🙏
The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 386 — RIP DJ Clark Kent 🙏
We lost a legend.
Good morning, folks. Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for reading today. I appreciate your time.
A big shoutout to the homie
, who is one of the incredible human beings who inspired me to start the Kicks You Wear. TZ is the first reader to officially refer ten subscribers to the Kicks You Wear (and probably hundreds more through links in his excellent GMIB newsletter).So he gets a special shoutout today. I reached out to see if he had anything he wanted to say. Here’s a message from Tom:
“Wear Your Sneakers.”
Well said.
Let’s dive in. We’ve got a heavy one today.
This one hurts
We lost a real one this weekend. Rodolfo A. Franklin — best known as DJ Clark Kent — died on Thursday surrounded by his loved ones. The family publicly announced his death via his Instagram page.
What happened: Kent had been battling colon cancer privately for the last three years.
That’s shocking, considering how much we saw Clark Kent out and about in public over these last three years just being his usual jovial self — or, at least, the version of him that we knew. While a deadly disease was ravaging his body, he still found time and space to share all of his joy and passion with us.
That shouldn’t be lost on anyone. I don’t know Clark Kent as personally as some of you reading this newsletter did. But, despite that, it’s very clear to me that Kent died living his life exactly how he wanted to. In a way, that brings me a bit of solace.
Yet, still… There’s no way around it. This news is devastating. Again, I did not know Clark Kent like many of you do. But there’s no doubt that this man’s works have immensely influenced me and countless others who also had the privilege of sharing time with him on this Earth.
He’s a cultural luminary in every sense of the phrase.
In hip-hop: DJ Clark Kent is one of the most influential figures the genre has seen. Without him, we miss out on countless classics.
Just check the Wiki. There are countless classics up and down the list. Player’s Anthem. Brooklyn’s Finest. We Be Clubbin’. Loverboy. That’s all Clark Kent.
One could argue that Jay-Z owes much of his career to Clark Kent. He introduced Hov to the Notorious B.I.G. He produced Brooklyn’s Finest and is credited with linking the two, which led to some of the greatest records we’ve ever heard.
You can listen to Clark tell the story here. It’s incredible. Never gets old.
In sneakers: Clark Kent might be just as big of an influencer — if not bigger. Nike released a statement on Kent’s death.
The dude owned thousands and thousands of pairs of sneakers. There’s probably not a pair that you know about that he didn’t have. And, if he didn’t, he probably thought they were wack.
He collaborated and consulted with multiple sneaker brands. Nike, Adidas, New Balance, K Swiss. They all sought out Clark Kent’s influence. He wasn’t just a consumer — he was the true definition of a creator.
I’d argue that his 112 collaboration with Nike is one of the greatest things the brand has ever produced. Without this, Travis Scott isn’t creating Jordans. The Air Yeezy line wouldn’t have existed. Those dropped in 2008. Ye had barely cut his teeth as a rapper by then. CK was already doing this shit and doing it well.
Without Clark, things won’t be the same in either industry. Maybe that’s a bit cliche, but it’s true.
The thing about Clark Kent that always made me tap in with whatever he was involved in wasn’t his cultural contribution, as massive as it is. It was that he was a man who was passionate about the things that he loved. Not only was he not afraid to let those passions shine through, but he also never hesitated to open up doors for other people to do the same thing. And he always seemed willing to share those passions with you, no matter who you were.
I’ve heard countless stories in sneaker circles about Clark Kent. I’ve never heard anyone utter a bad word about the man.
I haven’t heard stories about him shunning anyone away because he was in a foul mood or refusing to sign someone’s sneakers because he didn’t have the time. Every story I’ve heard is about him making the time, whether he had it or not. He wasn’t someone searching for clout. We’re talking about a guy who just gave away sneakers just because. It was truly about the community for him.
We need more DJ Clark Kent’s in this world. But, unfortunately for us, as his good friend Russ Bengtston said, there will never be another.
With that said, rest in peace, Clark Kent. At 58 years old, you’re gone way too soon. I won’t say you had so much more to give because you’d already given us more than enough. I’ll be forever grateful for all we received.
I only wish we could’ve given you more of the flowers you truly deserved while you were still here.
A brilliant resource
One of the coolest things I stumbled upon last week was this signature basketball shoe database put together by the homies over at Andscape.
Details:
The database includes every signature sneaker that has ever touched a basketball court, from the original 1934 Chuck Taylor to Sabrina Ionescu’s signature line.
In going through it, I’ve found even the most obscure models. Drazen Petrovic’s Kronos joints. Clyde Drexler’s Pony’s. Hakeem Olajuwon’s LA Gears. It’s all there.
You can filter the data by athlete, brand, model and decade. Click on the model and it’ll show you pictures of the player competing in the shoe.
This is the closest thing we have to a public archive that a brand would keep. It’s an incredible resource for all the footwear nerds out there.
I wish I had access to this four or five years ago. Selfishly, I must say, it’d have been a major help for the Kicks You Wear when it first launched.
Why it matters: Basketball is at the root of everything when it comes to sneaker culture. That’s why we talk about the sport so much here. If Michael Jordan’s Jordan 1 doesn’t break through in the 80’s, the footwear industry wouldn’t be what it is today.
This index brings a perspective to that. It’s a way to visualize that era along with everything that came before it and came after it. It’s also extremely handy for those “Wait, didn’t Player X have a signature shoe at one point?” conversations you have with the homies.
Gonna spend a ton of time combing through this.
Another billy for Hoka
For the first time in the brand’s history, Hoka has reached $2 billion in revenue over the last calendar year, Deckers CEO Stefano Caroti said on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
The big driver: It’s the international market. The boom Hoka has seen in the North American region over the last few years has been its anchor, but the brand has intentionally strengthened its presence overseas over the last year.
The brand opened its first store in Europe over a calendar year ago with its shop in London.
It also recently opened a store in Paris earlier this summer ahead of the Paris Olympics.
That’s where this revenue infusion came from.
The big picture: This is yet another major growth moment for one of the brands that have been slowly chipping away at both the marketshare and mindshare of the biggest brands in footwear.
Things had been quieter in recent months with Nike and Adidas stealing headlines away from the others. But this growth shows us that, yes, the smaller footwear brands beneath them are still thriving and growing. That’s not stopping anytime soon.
It’ll be fascinating to see how far Deckers and Hoka can take this growth.
“Wookie of the Year”
Victor Wembanyama turning the GT Hustle into Chewbacca might have just made him my favorite NBA player. Not going to lie to y’all.
To be clear: He didn’t actually play in these. There would’ve been fur all over the court. But, man. The fact that these exist just lights up the Star Wars fan in me.
In the words of the great Chewbacca, “RWGGHHHHHGHGHHHHHH”
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Gore-Tex Air Max Sunder — Sunday, October 27
Salehe Bembury x New Balance 530 “Prosperity Be the Prize” — Tuesday, October 29
New Balance x Up There Store 860v2 — Wednesday, October 30
Asics x jjjjound GT-2160 — Thursday, October 31
Air Max 90 “Scarab” — Thursday, October 31
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic week.
If you’ve got any questions, comments or concerns, hit me up via email at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message here on Substack.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. Tell your loved ones you love them. We out.
-Sykes 💯