Did you know that Drake used to wear fake Air Jordans when he was young? Now one of the greatest artists of all time, the rapper from Toronto used to be a simple and auto-proclaimed sneakerhead at the beginning of his career. But one day, the internet caught him wearing some of the worst fake Air Jordans on the market. But were they really fake? Here’s a picture of the photoshoot.
Remember the Time When Drake Wore Fake Air Jordans That Weren’t Fake… http://t.co/pbElxdDMRr pic.twitter.com/2BeYt6KFFZ
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) July 17, 2014
On this picture, we can see him wearing Purple Air Jordan 5s that did not exist at that time. And of course, because the internet is so fast, everybody said that Drake was wearing fake Jordans. For years, people made fun of him and some even said that he became famous because of this photoshoot. But many years later, the truth has been re-established.
These Jordans were in reality customs of the Air Jordan 5 Black metallic sneakers, created by C. Williams. These sneakers, not the customs, but the base that has been used for them, have been worn by Michael Jordan on the court, of course, but also by Will Smith in the iconic TV show The Fresh prince of Bel-Air.
However, in 2009, even if it doesn’t seem that far, the Internet wasn’t what it is today, it was full of fake news and fact-checking was bad. That’s why when someone said something, everybody believed it directly without checking if it was true or not. Everybody remembers of those old pictures of Loch Ness or these bad-quality videos of UFOs we used to watch and believe it was true, while it was just the beginning of special effects on the internet, and pros were testing them on us. Well, it was the same for Drake, some people said they were fake, so they were.
However, Drake knew of course from the beginning these were not fake, but guess what? He never answered to any of his detractors. No, he preferred to stay silent and do something much better: become one of the best sneakers influencers on the planet, and that, in silence.
From being accused of wearing fake to a Nike designer
Drake not only took his revenge on this story by wearing some of the most famous sneakers in public like the Jordan 3 Infrared or the Jordan 5 Tokyo, no, but he has also done much more than that.
He became a member of Team Jordan, the ultra-VIP group that gets all the exclusivities and access to all the private parties organized by Michael Jordan himself for his friends and family. It has been announced on Twitter by the brand itself and it surprised everyone.
He’s home. Welcome the newest member of #TeamJordan: @Drake
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) December 4, 2013
And when this happened, people couldn’t believe that out of all the artists, he was the one to receive a deal from the Jordan Brand. But in reality, it is logical since he clearly fits into the brand’s image. When they signed him, It was when they decided to be something else than just an athletic brand.
They signed with Kanye West and made the Air Yeezy 1 and 2 already, but signing Drake was another step. He was famous because of his Sprite Deal and also because of all the critics he received. And when someone can survive and progress with the type of critics he was receiving, It’s compatible with Team Jordan’s spirit, even with Michael Jordan’s spirit. And so, Drake ended up collaborating on an Air Jordan 10 and an Air Jordan 12 with his music label, OVO.
All of this made this story even more legendary because Drake came from being accused of wearing fake Jordans to a renowned member of Team Jordan. Even better, Drake directly collaborated with Nike recently, creating the amazing NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra, original sneakers that show how much of a sneakerhead he is. As he said himself: “Started from the bottom now we’re here”.
Drake’s NOCTA x Hot Step Air Terra releases on March 3rd
A$AP Rocky not expected to receive a seeded pair pic.twitter.com/6ZcEaq7TzJ— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) February 21, 2022
To conclude, we can say that karma worked positively for him. And if one day, someone tells you that even Drake used to wear fake Jordans, you know the truth.
