Kickin' Facts with Legendary Lade | Air Jordan 7 SE “Afrobeats”
To quote entrepreneur Abiola Oke, “Afrobeats is the best thing to happen to music in decades!” Many would agree and it seems Nike and Jordan Brand do too. To celebrate the Air Jordan 7’s 30th anniversary this year, the model is seeing more releases than ever with a special iteration named after and inspired by Afrobeats.
One of the most popular musical genres at the moment, Afrobeats is also known as Afro-pop and derived from West Africa. Most notably from Nigeria and Ghana, it consists of uptempo melodic rhythms and can often be heard blurring African and English dialects. In the past five years, we’ve seen an explosion of Afrobeats artists on the charts, on our TV screens, and now, on our feet.
For this special pair of 7s, the colors featured are vachetta tan, black, yellow, and purple. Its entire upper is covered in the leather tan colorway with special graphics embossed throughout. Earlier mock-up photos had the upper two-toned, but this muted version best suits its design and allows the details to shine through. Its midsole is completely black with yellow and purple accents, black laces, and a geometric black and white tongue. Elsewhere on the sneaker, you have the same special graphics on the inner bootie, Nike Air branding on the back, and colorful geometric patterns on the outsole that finish off the sneaker. See more photos below.
For me, the vachetta tan translates the warmth and heat of West Africa while the special graphics and geometric patterns translate its artistic nuances. What are your thoughts on these 7s? Do they capture the spirit of Afrobeats music? Let me know what you think about the exciting pair.
The Air Jordan 7 “Afrobeats” was released on Oct. 22 and is available now at Nike and select retailers for $210.
