Nike Air Force One’s have been around since the early 80’s, 1982 to be specific.

A little history for that ass:

Nike debuted their first AF1’s as high-tops using key NBA players, which made other professional basketball players and other sport enthusiasts attracted to the design. Nike started adding colors to the AF1 to better match different teams uniforms. The technology behind having ankle support (high-tops), having a strap wrapped around the ankle of the shoe, and having a pocket of air in the sole was ground-breaking.

The Original vs The Icon:

In 1984 Nike discontinued AF1’s in order to work on different and improved technology and designs. This was a mistake because local shops and sneaker enthusiasts demanded that Nike bring back the shoe. So they did. Two years later (1986) AF1 was reissued and introduced the low-top as well. The low-top was a big deal because that opened up a bigger market that catered to non-athletic persons, wearing them in a fashionable manner rather than for athletic reasons.

Images from Nike AF1 advertisement campaign (1982):

What does this have to do with hip-hop? Fucking everything. Jay-Z this, Nelly that, whatever, whatever. Lets get past that conversation. These shoes are and will be a staple in the culture until Nike goes bankrupt (and after, I guess). This design has withstood the test of time as well as executive decisions due to the hip-hop culture.

Images from: https://stockx.com/nike/air-force

As a community we made Nike change their minds because we spent so much fucking money on these kicks. You can thank musicians, fashionistas, drug-dealers, duffle-bag boys, and hustlers for making this shit cool and for making them stick around. We can also thank “Color of the Month” which originated in Detroit that offered different colors of the AF1 monthly. This was upheld by Rudo’s Sports, Cinderella Shoes, and Downtown Locker Room.

Till this day we have hip-hop artists doing collaborations with Nike, specifically with the AF1 model. This is why AF1’s are still relevant.