Since B-Boys first propelled them out of the New York City playgrounds in the 70’s, sneakers have morphed from a tool for athletic performance to Hip Hop’s cornerstone symbol of cool and an object of obsession for sneakers collectors world wide. Analyzing this global pop culture phenomenon, Just for Kicks is the first film of its kind to present the underlying culture and personalities that fueled this fashion revolution and its $26 billion global market. Far from a formal history of the sneaker industry, Just for Kicks offers a fun and colorful insider’s history of hip hop’s most treasured fashion item; revealing behind the scenes stories with exclusive testimonies, never before seen footage and the charismatic personalities that have come to influence pop culture.
(press release)

Whoa! Now I know this documentary dropped a little over a year ago, but this movie is all HYPE! Now, I got my hands on “Just for Kicks” at my local Hollywood Video Store for $3.99 (used!) ($20 bucks on on-line sites like Amazon and Sandbox Automatic!) and as soon as I got home, I rocked the disc on my dvd player… Word up, this documentary is a straight up history lesson on the sneaker culture and it’s Industry shakedown upon our wallets! After watching the flick I asked myself… “Did sneakers help ignite Hip-Hop Culture back in the days with the High tops… the Low tops… and it’s styles upon styles? or Was it Hip-Hop Culture that had the sneaker industry explode the f*ck up?!?” I just don’t know! As a kid, if it wasn’t toys… it was Hip-Hop cassettes… and if it wasn’t that… I needed a dope pair of kicks as I rocked my boombox! (The K-Mart brand, lol) “Just for Kicks”is a estimonial (if not dedication) to the art of Shoe Collecting. It’s a must have documentary for the new and old school sneaker head in search for the perfect kicks!

“Just for Kicks” is a film Directed by Thibaut de Longeville and Lisa Leone, features an oral history of your favorite kicks (on a personal and corporate twist)… Nike Air’s, Adidas, Converse, Puma and many, many more. It features Shoe Fanatic’s RUN DMC, The Cold Crush Brothers, Fabolous, Raekwon, Dame Dash, Fab Five Freddy, Scoop Jackson and of course the biggest collector of them all… Bobbito Garcia. The film views Shoes as being a tool of athletic performance to a symbol of cool and an object of obsession for collectors.

Why dig this flick? Just for Kicks is one of the most insightful documentaries I’ve ever seen in years. I almost felt like it was made for me. Just For Kicks does a good job turning an unlikely subject matter into a watchable film.

Just For Kicks Exclusive Clip - Run DMC’s “My ADIDAS” Story!