Lupe Fiasco, Kaelin Ellis ft. Virgil Abloh - SHOES Lyrics

Uh, yeah, uh

Been standin' in line since Thursday
I heard a rumor they might be droppin' them early
Should have 'em just in time for your birthday
Irrelevant holiday affair
Got one of those three-leg foldin' chairs
I am what you call prepared, for the campout
Evenin' brings the battery-powered lamps out
Warm clothes but blanket 'case it get cold
Corn chips and basic staples to hold
Hunger over 'til UberEats is ordered
Maybe pizza, or quesadillas and sopa
Got a little cooler with assorted waters and sodas
Cinnamon sugar-coated malassada, the odor
Makes me the envy of the line
If not the enemy, not my energy
I'll be spendin' plenty of time
Inside the books that I bought
Got audios and regulars
Quite the party goer and reveler

"So, on today's to-do list is to design a pair of runnin' shoes
The goal is as always in my work is to add emotion to inanimate objects, so"

Uh, release day is finally upon us
More celebratory than the former
But mixed with bittersweet vibes most certainly switched to different beats
More policed like Justinian's Byzantinian Christian beliefs
There's a risen rhythm you can feel it all in the streets
Like a marathon or a parade
Poets might wanna pull they pens out like grenades
Or, or that model for a year and a half
And write down all the tears and the laughs
A shot across the bow of the tyrannous class
Quote from man standin' on float
The whole event is just biggest-fan-channelin' dope
I mean, one just feels privileged and esteemed
Inwardly serene and spiritually clean
Even the line feels like a team
In stark opposition to a competition for things

"With that, these shoes that we are about to design with words
Starts with a sole
Not a sole, but a soul, you know, what touches you to earth
That's floating in nowhere, the soul"

Yeah, uh
With touchin' signs of equality to match
White kid at the front let me go first 'cause I was black
Said it was only right
He was used to havin' head starts his entire life
Maybe it was time to step aside like trilobites
Touchin', I never forget it like ridin' bikes
The ordeal starts to spring feelings like guidin' light
Permanent villains go about chillin' they psychic fights
Nice, and to a buyer's delight
You're limited to two so that means I'm buyin' them twice
One pair to wear, one pair on ice
Aftermarket speculation will surely hike up the price
Call that all in the plans
Feelin' like Mike with the ball in my hands
Swear to God, it's like the best game he ever played
I get to wear the first pair possibly ever made

"What does that sole look like
It's soft to run on
But tough enough to withstand the reality of the ground
Or the reality of the context we're livin' in
That's the soul
Let's just call it black"

Uh, yeah
I get applause as I step outside the pop-up
The shop resembles the unfinished house he was in before they shot us
We fell down, then we got up
Pick Pac up, pick Nip up
This is the type of trippin' that scuff kicks up
Traditionally creases was a style to refuse
But now they represent every mile in your shoes
Any mud on your sole gets toweled and removed
It's like I'm retracin' every trial, know it took strength
Giant steps flowers growin' out of the footprints
Liberation, here's your invitation
It's a relay race, continuation
Get the baton and keep bringin' it back
That string theory means we'll keep bein' attached
Last thing, this is somethin' of a sight
Even when you take 'em off they keep runnin' for your life

"You know, can withstand multiple beatings by the ground
But it's tough enough to continue on, that's the sole
Now there's an upper on top of that sole
The upper is made of leather
Or maybe knit, or maybe both, you know?
That sole and that upper combined by stitches
Leaves for a dynamic enclosure around the foot
There's a tongue, there's even shoelaces
You know, those shoelaces, they are literally as elastic as a rubber band
But as tough as links of steel, let's call it chain links
So, here we have the shoe taking shape
There's a logo on the side, fill in the blank of your favorite one
They're all man-made, it's all good
But this shoe, these Air Ahmauds or these Air Arberys
Are starting to take shape now, you know?
They connect man and earth, they allow you to run
That running is freedom, accelerated heart rate by design through design
Air Ahmaud, Air Arbery
What color are these shoes? The upper of these shoes
Maybe white, maybe black, pick your favorite
But, you know, the world's black and white anyways
So might as well limit the whole color palette to that
Signed, Virgil Abloh, in quotes of course
Oh yeah, there's a red zip-tie on this thing, it makes it our own
It's tied into a history of art that's now
Copyright 2020"