Kendrick Lamar’s first collaboration with Reebok sends a powerful message against gang violence. The rapper’s off-white Reebok Ventilators feature the words “RED,” “BLUE” and “NEUTRAL” to bring bloods and crips together through a simple sneaker. In a video shared by K. Dot, two gang members, one Crip and one Piru (Blood), discuss the rapper’s message.
“Music is real influential, and you got people like Kendrick that’s promoting unity. Everything starts with kids. I think these kids wanna be cool with each other, no matter what neighborhood they grow up in,” G Weed, the Piru member stated.
READ: J. Cole Believes Kendrick Lamar Can Help End Gang Violence In L.A.
Sharing how they each became involved in their respective gangs, G Weed and Jigga both described an early awareness of their sets. Citing their upbringing and childhood influences as the driving force behind their membership in the rival gangs, they both expressed a hopefulness for the future.
“The message behind the new Kendrick Lamar shoe is uniting red and blue, where we all can exist, and respect each other and love one another,” G Weed said. “This message is just about a whole lot of peace and unity, and Kendrick is just really giving us a reason, and giving us an understanding of why we should have unity, or why we should really wanna do this,” Jigga added.
Watch a Piru and Crip talk unity, thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s bold new kicks.