Open Letter To LeBron James:

Dear LeBron Raymone James,

My name is LyricistFan, I am an avid sneaker buyer and this letter is posted on my website LyricistFan.com with hopes that maybe you or someone in your camp will eventually read it. Now first I would like to congratulate on all of your accomplishments this season and in the Summer Olympics. However, there is something that is not sitting right with me and most of the sneaker community. Since you and your friends are the owners of the establishment UNKNWN I had to bring this to your attention. Now I am rightfully assuming you have little say in day to day operations but I do hope that you have some influence in your own store. This past weekend, August 11, 2012 your store released the LeBron 9 Championship & MVP pack. I am glad that your store was able to raffle off 12 packs for sale but I am a little confused about the price you charged. The MSRP (manufactured suggested retail price) on the pack is $450, but UNKNWN somehow charged every person that won a pack $600+tax. Now I know stores charge over MSRP all the time, hell the word “suggested” is actually in “MSRP” so I can’t be too mad. It just makes no sense that YOUR store was charging over retail for YOUR signature shoe. I know you took a hit by going to Miami instead of taking a max pay out in another market but an extra $150 for YOUR signature shoe in YOUR store? Does this make sense to you? I have heard owning a store is tough and you always want to maximize your profits but this seems highly immoral that you would charge your customers more than other places just to make a quick buck. 

(Receipt From UNKNWN and Box Label Showing MSRP)

In fact, there’s no way this issue is due to greed. We all know that you don’t need a measly couple hundred dollars over MSRP to pay your overhead, bills, etc. The real problem is the morality of it all. Owning a store and being a superstar in the NBA have similarities. In both aspects you have a fan base, a loyal group of people who support you- whether it’s buying material items or rooting for you at games makes no difference. It’s your duty, your responsibility, to carry out these operations with integrity and fairness. In the NBA, examples of this are being a good team player, humble, professional, and dedicated. With your own flagship store, it should be about running an honest business, and valuing the customer. The least you can do is charge a reasonable price for sneakers-especially your own signature pack celebrating your most prestigious season. I’m sure you had very little say in this manner and probably didn’t even realize the debauchery of the markup. All I ask is for you to pay a little more attention to your store and realize the issue at hand. It’s already hard enough to actually get a CHANCE to buy the shoe, to win and then still have to pay over retail is unjust.

Have a nice day,

LyricistFan

The Internet & Sneakers

The creation of the Internet resulted in a monumental leap for mankind. It allowed information to be spread in a matter of seconds, communication made possible with a click of a button, millions of jobs and activities to be developed, and overall allowed anyone with a computer, laptop, or device to connect to anyone, anywhere.

One of the most profound impacts the Internet had was on the sneaker culture. Before the boom of the Internet in the early 2000s, sneakers were simple. The "good ol' days" entailed heading to your local mall with maybe a few friends and picking up whatever met your eye. If you were short on cash you'd put them on layaway or save up and grab them a few weeks down the road. If you missed out on your size you'd just leave, the idea of reselling didn't even cross one's mind- not because it was looked down upon, but because the market wasn't even there for it.

But that all changed with the Internet. Soon blogs, sneaker sites, and social media overtook the way sneakerheads looked at the hobby.

See, everyone wants to blame a specific entity as the reason for the #shoegamefuckedup mantra that every bitter elitist is spewing. But in all actuality, there isn't one specific source to blame. The combination of several things allowed people to exploit the clear financial gain there is with sneakers. People make livings out of this now, and not just chump change, but six-figure salaries due to it. The Internet made that possible.

The Internet produced Ebay. The Internet produced Sole Collector, Niketalk, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Tumblr, Instagram, hell, even Wordpress. Now ask yourself, what do all of those websites have in common? They allow you to sell sneakers on it. You are lying to yourself if you never once needed some quick cash and decided to sell a pair or two or three or four. And over half of you so called "sneakerheads" have probably sold a shoe that has released in the past few months.

Why do we look down upon it? You're asking for a retweet and then 5 minutes later you say "sold," with $200 in your Paypal account. With such a seamless and simple process to make a lot of money, it's impossible to expect someone new to the "game" to see this and not want to try it.

Sneaker battles, forums, discussion threads, vlogs on random sneaker stories, podcasts, even just TALKING about sneakers has RUINED sneakers. What people fail to realize is that nothing is safe on the Internet. When Twitter is buzzing about a new sneaker coming up and people are posting pictures of them camping 17 weeks early, the average joe is going to see that and try to exploit it. And they should, in fact they'd be stupid not to. As @ufc4 said on Twitter a few weeks back "If you live in NY and didn't buy those supreme SBs to flip, then you're an idiot." He's right. He also said "If you respect someone because of what shoes they own, then YOU are the reason the shoe game is fucked up." He's right again.

We glorify rubber leather and plastic that Nike claims is technological magic. We gawk at pictures of "heat," attend sneaker conventions, study release dates and mall layouts. We are nerds for shoes. And it's all because the Internet allows us to do that- without it none of this would exist.

But the Internet isn't completely terrible by any means. The Internet has allowed me to meet a lot of new people, network, buy shoes I couldn't without Ebay or other outlets, sell shoes quickly when I'm so broke that my bank account is crying, and even type up this blog post. Without the Internet I'd probably lose a good chunk of knowledge I have, and I don't mean just sneakers, I'm talking about life. The Internet is a powerful, almost frightening, tool. It has its advantages, and it has its flaws.

So before you cry about "teenagers ruined this," "blogs ruined that," think about how you can't stay away from the Internet for more then a few days. Think about how you peruse Ebay, Solecollector, and other sites when you're bored. Think about how you tweet "who's got stuff for sale?" when you have extra cash. Think about how you miss out on a release and then put money in that person's pocket that you were just complaining about a few days ago. Think about your active role online, your 100,000 tweets, your 750 friends on Facebook, etc. - you are a part of the problem.

But you shouldn't change. There isn't anything wrong with having that many friends or that many tweets. In fact, this isn't a problem. People simply fear change, and what we must realize is that the "good ol' days" are gone and you have to adjust. Adapt and learn to deal with some of the bull that comes along with House of Hoops or resellers and hypebeasts or just quit buying shoes because this constant complaining is getting old. Things will never be the same, and that's just something we have to accept.

Hit me up at @chabes12 on Twitter for any comments, concerns or suggestions.

LyricistFan.com - Cleveland Got Sole 3 Display

Where Does Hype Come From?

Hype surrounds any product, whether it's a movie, video game, piece of food, place, or more specifically, sneakers. The more politically correct term for hype is demand. Demand isn't ever considered a bad thing- unless it's about kicks. But why exactly do sneakerheads hate "hype"? And more importantly, where does it stem from?

The answer to the first question is simple. Hype generated from a particular shoe results in waiting. This period of waiting ranges from hours, days, and sometimes even weeks for a shoe. If you don't wait in line, the resell price will be ridiculous. It's a lose lose situation, and it pisses off people who don't have the resources to keep up with releases.

The more important question is where does hype stem from, and throughout my experience with kicks I've noticed it seems to be a question only answered during times of rage or disappointment. Salty/bitter/angry/homotional sneakerheads (Seriously guys, they're just shoes), blame Nike.com (which is ridiculous), blogs, resellers, other consumers, and even celebrities. Most of these theories are laughable and based purely around anger. Sneakerheads want to blame anyone and anything that can justify why they couldn't purchase their pair.

But why doesn't anyone ever give props to the shoe itself? Seriously. Has it ever crossed anyone's mind that maybe the hype that goes along with shoes like the All-Star Galaxy Pack, Concords, etc.  is from a dope design? Obviously the hype is never proportionally reasonable, there will always be idiots ready to sleep outside for a week for a shoe, resellers who want a quick buck but fail to realize their profit is minimal, and blogs that constantly give a shoe publicity and therefore subliminally convince the reader it's a must-cop, but the main desire for a shoe is, point blank, from the design..

A blog never starts off a "First Look" as "THIS SHOE IS SO LIMITED AND YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD COP." Nike never releases a statement saying "THERE ARE THIS MANY PAIRS, IT WILL BE WORTH THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY WHEN YOU RESELL." Celebrities never say "YOU AREN'T ON SHIT UNLESS YOU GOT THESE LIKE ME #BALLIN'!" And NO ONE ever says "MAN I JUST LIKE THIS SHOE BECAUSE ALL THE COOL PEOPLE LIKE IT!" (At least seriously).

Like I said, all of the factors mentioned beforehand have some influence whether you want to accept it or not. But at the same time, what mainly captivates someone is the dazzling colorway, concept, or technology of a sneaker. Sure, if the Yeezy didn't have any affiliation with Kanye West it would sit, but at the same time the intricate details of the design of the shoe would be gone if it wasn't a YEEZY. To say "remove the nickname and it would be trash" is foolish because then the part of it that makes it so desirable-THE DESIGN- would be lost.

This is true for ANYTHING, Concords, Black Cement 3s, even fakes; someone is attracted to it because of its aesthetic appeal. The more universally awesome the design, the more people want it. The more people who want it, the higher the demand. The higher the demand, the harder it is to cop a pair because there simply isn't enough supply. One idiot flocks to House of Hoops a week early for Galaxy Foams and everyone else jumps the gun because they're afraid they won't get a pair if they don't wait. Once again, why do they want that pair? Because they are captivated by the design, exactly how you were captivated by Concords when Jordan won a championship in them. Exactly how you begged your mom for that one pair, or hustled your ass of just to purchase it and stare at it like it's your first born. That patent leather made your mouth water, the ice sole gave you chills, that elephant print fascinated you. In 2012, the nebula upper blew your mind, and the glow in the dark outsole was the cherry on top.

Hype is just the root of sneaker collecting. It's that same passion that is deep inside all of us, that moment where you see something and say "I gotta have it." Unfortunately, now the culture is just more popular than ever, and consequently this previously simple want is blown out of proportion into ridiculous campouts and prices. Don't hate hype, and more importantly, don't act like it's something new. It's been around since the first person bought something. Instead of hating it, accept it, and realize that majority of the time it mainly derives from a flat out sweet kick. Not a celebrity, not a blog, not a hypebeast, but the design itself. To hate hype is to hate shoes themselves, and maybe if you realize to roll with the punches and understand that demand will always derive from something cool, you'll learn to be a happier person and not so god damn whiny. Sure, it sucks that it's so hard to get something as simple as a GR nowadays, but there's nothing you can do. Hype will always exist, and as brands push the limits of innovation, creativity, and appeal, it will only increase.

Hit me up on twitter at @chabes12 to discuss.

The Mercer Mystery

Nowadays with outrageous lines, resellers, and poorly operated store fronts, there is a stronger emphasis on morals from the sneakerhead community. Mantras such as “Never tax your friend” “Wear your kicks” and “Don’t be a hypebeast” are some of the few unwritten rules of sneakers. Lately ‘heads have been feeling as if they are being pushed to the side and that their concerns are being ignored. These feelings are justified with contempt towards suggestions of releases online and in-store by Nike and Jordan Brand.

            The question presented today is when does a store cross the line? Is a store required to give customers equal opportunities, or are they allowed to price/sell their product whichever way they please? Why do we become so upset- why do we care?

            21 Mercer, the flagship Nikestore in New York, New York, has been selling product to friends and family for years. Is that okay? The answer is not clear; however, I think anyone will agree that there comes a point where it’s not only hooking up the manager’s buddy, but it becomes blatant disrespect towards the customers that gave them their job in the first place.

            Recently, 21 Mercer received a restock of the infamous Galaxy Foamposites. These shoes are notorious for holding the record for the longest campout in the history of sneakers-one week. These shoes have recently fallen out of the spotlight but Mercer rekindled the fire and the issue of selling product in a fair matter.

            What actually occurred at Mercer is unconfirmed, but it appears that somehow they obtained a restock of around 75 pairs, and then sold them off without an announcement. Most likely due to 21 Mercer logging the restock in the server, Nikestore on Twitter alerted a user that Mercer had them.  Soon the news spread like wildfire, and people flocked to the store. Within an hour around a hundred people were there, and that’s perfectly fine. (Although I still don’t understand how 100 people have nothing important going on in their life, drop what they’re doing at 10 AM and head over, but I digress.)

           

                          

The real issue is that Mercer clearly was more worried with hooking up V.I.P.s than the actual customers. It is reported that certain people were allowed to cut line, and get first dibs. SneakerNews, one of the worst and most corrupt sites on the Internet, claimed that everything was random and the shoes just popped up on the shelf, like the “good ol’ days.” Others agreed that this release was the perfect example of how it should be done. Realistically, it is highly doubtful that this editor managed to show up at the store right at 10 and cop a pair since the line formed rather swiftly. What’s more likely is that he was informed and was able to cop a pair due to his “V.I.P. status.” This is nothing close to the good ol’ days, because back then shoes hardly ever sold out. Galaxy foams would have hit the outlets and be forgotten about for years.

            What 21 Mercer did is wrong. Obviously they have the freedom to distribute their product in whatever way they please, and I don’t live in New York so it doesn’t affect me. But to applaud their actions is simply ignorant and foolish- they weren’t letting anyone purchase them, they were only selling under the table – well, at least until Nikestore let the cat out of the bag and exposed them. Then they were forced to sell to the public. The whole point is that it was a restock they didn’t intend to even announce, a move that is not only shady, but selfish.

            The 21 Mercer debacle presents a larger issue than just the Galaxy Foams alone. Stores have always been hooking people up, but is it becoming so corrupt that even being first in line doesn’t ensure a guaranteed pair? If you can’t campout, cop online, afford rape, or get a hookup, where does it stop? Why is it so hard to get a simple pair of sneakers? What’s the solution?            
Let me know what you think in the comments. Picture via inflexwetrust.com

Hit me up on twitter @Chabes12 if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

Forgotten Favorites: Nike Air Zoom Flight 95

Welcome to the first edition of "Forgotten Favorites", a series in which I'm going to highlight some kicks from the past that are some of my old favorites from back in the day, shoes that bring back memories for me. Today we're gonna look at the Air Zoom Flight 95, or what some of you may call "Jason Kidd's".

The "Air Zoom Flight 95"

As you can probably figure out from the name, these first released back in 1995 and I believe Jason Kidd first wore them in his second NBA season which was '95-'96. The navy blue colorway went perfectly with Kidd's uniform and he instantly brought the shoe to prominence as he quickly emerged as one of the NBA's best young players. You may also remember former LA Clipper Brent Barry winning the 1996 Slam Dunk contest in a white and red colorway of these shoes. Alonzo Mourning also wore a high-top version of the model. Interestingly these were one of the first Nike models to use the Zoom Air technology that we still see in many shoes today.


I'm not exactly sure why but these have always been a favorite of mine, I think it's the fact that they are just so much different than what 99% of "normal" basketball shoes look like. From the pods to the huge midsole to the stitched on "waves" it's just a very unique sneaker. I actually put out my own money back in high school when I was broke to get these and I've been lucky enough to acquire another 3 pairs recently but there are still 2-3 colorways I need to cop. Hopefully Nike will retro these again soon (even though they did drop some in '08) and possibly with some new colorways so I can continue to add to my collection.



This model is probably my favorite non-Jordan Nike model of all time and that is why I chose it as the first sneaker I wanted to highlight in this series. In the future I'll also look at some Jordan's (although those probably aren't as "forgotten") and some non-Nike models as well. What are some older kicks that bring back memories for you? Feel free to share in the comments or hit me up on twitter @ufc4. Thanks for reading and check back again soon to see what the next model in the series will be.

LyricistFan.com Presents: Top 10 Douchebags of 2011(and beginning of 2012)

Those of you that know me know that at the end of 2010 I started the Top 10 Douchebag list. It was a hit and many people kept asking me to do a new list for 2011. Will you make the list year? Is it a good thing or bad thing to make this list? As you know I don’t care if I offend people. I always say: If you don’t have haters you aren’t doing it right. So on to the list this year…..

10. You

Once again. You should be proud that you made the list. Just like last year you are a douchebag for wanting to read this list. Most of you reading this list asked me when it was coming. So this spot is pretty self-explanatory. You should run and tell all your friends you are now famous because you made the LyricistFan.com Douchebag List two years in a row.

9. Premium Pete

This guy is the ultimate ass-clown in the sneaker world. He wants to ride on everyone’s coattails and act like every idea he steals is his own. According to him he invented elephant print. Yeah, ok Pete. Keep thinking that. Also, why do you keep calling yourself Premium Pete? You don’t even work at that shop anymore. If I worked at Supreme and my name was Steve, I would go by Supreme Steve, but if I got fired from Supreme I would definitely drop it from my name. I guess Pete doesn’t understand that concept.

8. Hypebeasts/Wannabe Resellers

This category blankets a large number of you reading this. These people will wait in line for 5+ hours to cop one pair and flip for $30 profit. I just don’t see the point in that. These are also the same people that cop a sneaker, flaunt it for 2 days and then put it up for sale. Who you trying to impress? You only copped those kicks because the internet told you to. These kids do need to be educated in the sneaker world, but we should not be responsible for that. There is plenty of information online for them to educate themselves. Thanks to these douchebags for ruining the sneaker world.

7. DJ Delz

If you follow me on Twitter, it is obvious why he made this list. For those of you that don’t know, this guy has been copping fakes for years, but swears he is a sneaker god. He lies constantly. Come on fam, only an idiot would believe someone at Jordan Brand sent you those DB 4’s for free. We know you paid rape but you’re too afraid to admit it. So, recently Delz made a video comparing early release Black Cements to store-bought Black Cements. He tried to make them seem the same, but he was too dumb to notice the differences. He was backing these pre-order sites heavy, but then he figured out they sold fakes, so one day he does a video saying he won’t cop early kicks anymore, then the very next day he posts a video of an early release. This clown shouldn’t be respected by anyone. He just started copping kicks two years ago and acts like an OG. You ain’t fooling anyone Marcus, oh and no one in the music business ever heard of you.

6. Mayor

This guy is the biggest douchebag on the list (literally). So this guy re-tweets every half-assed compliment he receives on Twitter. I guess he was never hugged enough as a child, but I don’t blame his parents because they couldn’t get their arms around him. He acts like he is king shit of the Air Force 1 world, yet he’s only been buying Air Force 1’s since 2004. Don’t let him front and act like he’s been doing it forever. Like Hov said “We don’t believe you, you need more people.”

5. DJ Clark Kent

Not much to say about Clark that hasn’t already been said by me. For those that don’t know back when the LeBron 7 came out Clark emailed me telling me to call him and, reluctantly, I did. He then proceeded to ask where a certain sneaker that I purchased came from. I refused to tell him and he threw a “bitch fit.” Too bad I paid less for them than he was selling for. But that’s beside the point for this list. I will never understand why Nike still lets him design sneakers. 85% of his collaborations with Nike sit on shelves in the outlets. The only reason the 112 LeBron is so popular is because they never released. Maybe one day he will actually design a dope sneaker, maybe one day a unicorn will fly out of my ass, but both seem highly unlikely.

4. SneakGeekz

I don’t want to say too many bad things about this guy since he may crap out in his senior citizen home. This guy tried to tell me he “influences millions” with his sneaker reviews. If he influences millions, I feel sorry for society today. He knowingly cops fakes and doesn’t have enough knowledge to know they are fakes. But then again we can always blame that on his 93-year-old eyes that don’t really let him see the details. Instead of paying rape for kicks he should invest in Lasik eye surgery and a new colostomy bag. He recently bought an early release Jordan X where the Jordan letters on the box were clearly upside down and he continued to say they were really good quality. Someone do all us a favor and return him to his old folks home.

3. Ronnie Fieg

What can we say about Mr. Fieg? This guy makes by far the most hideous sneaker and boot designs, yet the young hypebeasts flock to his every release. He makes all his collaborations extremely limited because he knows he can’t sell out a 10,000 pair production sneaker. He also likes to act like he is King Humble, which is by far the biggest stretch of the truth since Clinton said he did not inhale. He pats himself on his back more than Kanye does. The best part is when his crew takes shots at him on Twitter and they don’t even realize they are clowning their boy. One day Ronnie, maybe you will understand your sneaker and boot designs suck. That day can’t get here soon enough.

2. Tim Tebow

Ok Tim, we get it, you love God. And in about 25 years we will find out you have a secret camp in the jungle like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, but instead of soldiers you will have oriental pre-teen boys running around that are your love slaves. We know you love God but calm down already, just because your pastor touched you when you were a youth don’t mean you saw the light of God. I would respect you more as an athlete if ESPN would hop off. Hell ESPN is comparing you to Lin just to keep your bible thumping ass in the media. It’s time to give it a rest.

1. lyricistfan

Once again, I made the top of the list. Just making this list alone should put me at the top. I get called an asshole or douchebag almost every day. I have no issue with that either. Some will call it “hating” but what is there for me to hate on? I have rare kicks, I don’t give a shit, and I will never care what others say. That right there earns me the crown for the second year in a row.

Thank you for taking the time of your busy porn watching day and reading this list. Please share this post with every one-arm drug dealer, a half-legged hooker, your PO, and everyone else you know.

-lyricistfan