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Kendrick Lamar Explores His Connection to the Term “Classic”

Need someone who has the power to turn something as simple as a shoe commercial into a piece of art that is equally as deep as it is edgy and engaging? Seems like Kendrick Lamar was the right choice, Reebok.

Lamar has been a Reebok ambassador since 2014. MTV reported that his reason behind the partnership with the brand was their “history of helping kids in the community realise their potential is limitless.”

“I saw what the brand was doing, and I wanted to be a part of it and make it even stronger. It’s as simple as that. Kids that listen to my music are looking for inspiration. It’s important that I continue that message in anything I represent,” he said.

In the latest Reebok Classic campaign, under the director of photographer Nabil Elderkin, Lamar can be seen freestyling and throwing around some wise thoughts in regards to the word ‘classic’. Untitled Unmastered’s untitled 07 is featured throughout the video, meshing well with the artsy feel of the advertisement. It is the first thing we hear when the video begins, capturing our attention immediately.

“By the time I started writing, when I was 13, I knew from the jump I wanted something that was original, something that was classic,” he begins to tell a story from his teenage years before we hear the first clip of his freestyle.

“When you think about rhymes and style, you always want a classic feel,” he continues. “So my first introduction to a classic shoe was the moment I stepped in school and I said to myself, ‘I want to put something down on paper.’ I started writing. Everybody in the classroom was wearing Reebok Classics.”

The story leads on to something deeper, turning the conversation towards music. “Hip-hop was more than just the music; it was part of culture, it was part of having style, it was part of a whole graffiti and arts,” he explains.

He has one last thing to say before the video ends with some more of his freestyling skills. “It was only right that I wore the Reebok Classics then. I still remain that classic guy, and that’s the reason why I’m wearing the shoes now.”

Watch his Reebok Classic ad below.

Image: Billboard