A Closer Look at the Nike Cortez Kenny 1

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Kendrick Lamar‘s performance at last night’s college football National Championship doubled as a breeding ground for both new music and budding footwear. Lamar utilized this broad platform to showcase his first collaborative release with Nike — the Cortez Kenny 1. It’s a shoe that elongates Lamar’s latest musical foray, his fourth studio album, DAMN, released in April 2017. The album’s title, theme and message, all converge to help kickoff his new partnership with the Swoosh.

The shoe is loudly pronounced with “DAMN” in red at the tongue, seen in the same bold script that covers the aforementioned album’s artwork. That phrase then lines the shoe’s paneling, only this time outlined in red overlaying a pristine white leather base. A black tongue boldly offsets the ankle bearing silhouette, deepening in meaning as a tonal representation of Kendrick’s afrocentricity, or more simply stated as color blocking that adds depth to the shoe’s palette. The former, however, is more likely.

Take a closer look at the Nike Cortez Kenny 1 below and expect the drop on January 26 for $100 at Nike SNKRS.