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Kendrick Lamar Focusing On Reebok Collaboration Over New Music

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 17:03 PST, Jun 30, 2016

Kendrick Lamar has a big fanbase that has been waiting for the next big step from the rapper, and that is a collaboration with J. Cole, but at this stage, it looks like fans might have to wait even longer for the collaboration as Kendrick Lamar’s legal battles will prevent the album from happening any time soon, according to Christian Today.

To make matters worse, the collaboration looks to be even more unlikely now, as a recent post from J. Cole on Instagram hints at the possibility that he will be ditching Kendrick Lamar and collaborate with Drake instead.

The video shows J. Cole singing along to a a song from Drake’s Views album while driving.

However, Kendrick has stated that the last thing he will do is give up on the collaborative album. Kendrick had hinted that just like Beyoncé’s latest album, the collaborative effort with J. Cole might come out as a surprise for everybody.

While there has been no solid confirmation that the album is still being worked on by Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, at the very least, Kendrick still seems to have high hopes that the album will eventuate.

Fans of Kendrick Lamar can still get their hands on a new big release, though, and although not of a song or musical nature, it will still be something that is close to the rapper’s heart. According to Billboard, Kendrick Lamar has collaborated with Reebok to address sociopolitical issues through fashion.

The Grammy-winning artist has always been known for having the ability to tackle politically charged themes with intelligence and artistic deftness through his music. His capsule collections with Reebok show that Kendrick Lamar is not only capable of doing so in music, but he is also perfectly adept at making political statements through fashion designs.

Lamar and Reebok first made a collaborative effort in the form of the Ventilator shoe in 2015, which was followed by his take on the classic leather sneaker in January of this year.

For Lamar’s third and most recent collaboration with the brand, he teamed up with designer Ian Paley to reinvent the classic leather shoe in an even bolder way. A split seam running from the toe of the shoe to the heel makes a symbolic nod to his youth, as the blue color found on one side of the sneaker and the red on the other is a symbolic nod to unity and neutrality between warring gangs, as well as alluding to the crossroads that Kendrick Lamar has gone through in his life.

Damion Presson, the director of entertainment marketing at Reebok, was excited about the new collaboration with Lamar and spoke on why Kendrick Lamar is the perfect fit for a Reebok collaboration.

“Kendrick represents an authentic voice within today’s pop culture. Similarly, the Reebok brand represents innovation and authenticity in the marketplace. There is a seamless and organic relationship between Reebok and Kendrick Lamar which makes him the right fit for this collaboration.”

The story behind the shoe is just as powerful as the design itself, as Damion Presson noted, saying that the rapper is taking a different approach with his capsule, aiming to build a “purposeful product that has a message of unity which transcends the Bloods and the Crips.”

In the director’s opinion, Kendrick Lamar’s latest design “reflects the sentiment of youth culture globally,” and that the Reebok Classic brand has lasted through the generations and continues to inspire fashion-conscious consumers who still wish to embrace “the nostalgia of an iconic shoe.”

While there might not be music from Lamar coming out anytime soon, his powerful message and lyrical genius live on with his fashion.

[Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for MTV]

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