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Nigel Sylvester Hits Home With Air Jordan 4 “Driveway” Collaboration — Andscape

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3 months ago

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Over the past decade, BMX rider Nigel Sylvester has been riding bikes around the globe while constructing his unique brand as a content creator, fashion influencer and social philanthropist.

However, Sylvester has not forgotten the start of his profession, which began within the Laurelton section of Jamaica, Queens, New York — or more precisely, within the driveway of his grandmother’s house, where he learned to ride a motorcycle.

Sylvester’s unmistakable athletic roots come to life in his latest sneaker project for Jordan Brand: the “Driveway Grey” Air Jordan 4 RM, which went on sale Thursday for $160 a pair. On July 20, Sylvester’s Jordan 4 collaboration debuted in a limited-edition “Fence Green” colorway, also inspired by his grandmother’s home. Creatively directed by Sylvester, his passion project has been within the works for greater than a 12 months after Jordan Brand tapped the BMX pro to star in the brand new RM — short for RestoMod, a portmanteau of restaurant modification — of the long-lasting Air Jordan 4 silhouette.

BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester’s love of cycling began at his grandmother’s house within the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York.

Jordan Brand

“The best days were spent in my grandmother’s driveway,” Sylvester told Andscapein in late 2022. “Those were the days when my curiosity was at its peak and I wanted to express myself on a bike. Whether it was on my big wheel or, as I got a little older, on a little 16-inch. And then it just grew from there. It went from hobby to love to obsession. Every free moment, every free moment, I was riding my bike.”

Sylvester’s version of the Air Jordan 4 notably swaps out the unique 1989 “Nike Air” typography on the heels of every shoe to officially introduce his own signature “Bike Air” branding. The phrase and concept were born around 2021, when Sylvester left his longtime partnership with Nike’s SB division to affix Jordan Brand, inspired by how he gained attention in sneaker culture together with his debut Air Jordan collaboration in 2018. Officially signing on as Jordan Brand’s first and only BMX sponsor was a milestone for Sylvester, a Caribbean American who’s the son of immigrants from Grenada. He still vividly remembers receiving his first bike.

The Air Jordan 4 RM “Driveway Grey” is the second colorway released in collaboration between BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester and Jordan Brand.

Jordan Brand

The heel features the “Bike Air” logo, a tribute to BMX rider Nigel Sylvester’s cycling roots.

Jordan Brand

“My dad bought me a 1998 or ’99 Mongoose Sniper,” Sylvester told Andscape. “It was all black. It had chrome handlebars, chrome forks, alloy wheels, red and yellow decals.”

With the introduction of the “Driveway” 4s, Sylvester teamed up together with his sponsor, Specialized Bicycle Components, to introduce the primary Air Jordan-branded BMX bike, limited to a production run of just 17 models, inspired by the wheels of his childhood. Sylvester wrote and starred within the business for the shoe, which was filmed at the house where his grandmother lived. The 90-second spot, which featured former actress Jo Marie Payton as Sylvester’s grandmother, has since appeared in each Times Square and Citi Field.

“My first real BMX bike was everything to me, man,” Sylvester told Andscape. “I took the brakes off and rode up to my buddies in the park and I was like, ‘Hey, look at my new bike.’ It was one of those feelings I’ll never forget. I feel like that was my real introduction to BMX.”

Sylvester made probably the most of his debut BMX bike, zipping around New York City on two wheels and developing his eye for fashion and footwear, which eventually earned him skilled endorsements and collaborations with notable brands similar to Kith, New Era, Oakley, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Nike and Jordan.

“Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, I would go out and ride around different neighborhoods, and I would see all these different influences on how people wore their sneakers,” Sylvester told Andscape. “How people dressed in Uptown, compared to Brooklyn, Queens, and the Lower East Side. Seeing all these different things, I would naturally take something from there and flip it. I would take something from there and flip it. And it just evolved throughout my life and career. Now I’ve gotten to a place where I know what works for me.”

The “Fence Green” colorway was the primary Air Jordan 4 RM to hit the market.

Jordan Brand

Around the time he turned pro in BMX at age 18, Sylvester signed his first footwear sponsorship with Nike in 2005. But it wasn’t until one other decade later that Sylvester got his first likelihood to design a sneaker. In March 2014, Sylvester and the Swoosh released the “SOMP” (“Standing On My Pedals”) Nike SB Dunk High. Original pairs now fetch as much as $3,500 on sneaker resale platforms. By 2015, Sylvester had captured the world’s attention with the launch of his digital lifestyle and travel video series, GO. Co-directed by BMX athlete and director/photographer Harrison Boyce, GO garnered greater than 100 million views in five years, setting the stage and marketplace for Sylvester’s expanded sponsorship profile.

“I don’t remember when I first saw Nigel, but I remember he got this Nike Sportswear campaign and they put billboards of him in New York,” Boyce told Andscape. “I know it was a big moment for Nigel, but it was also a really big moment for BMX. Only skateboarders had that kind of exposure before. So I was happy that a big brand like Nike was recognizing a BMX athlete like Nigel in that kind of role. Nike was just presenting him as a person. That was the first moment where I felt like Nigel was different.”

Different is probably probably the most apt description of Sylvester’s debut collaboration with the Jordan brand, which resulted within the OG Air Jordan 1 High from August 2018.

“Being able to collaborate on the Jordan 1, which is my favorite shoe, and tell the story of how my shoes get worn out when I’m riding my bike, was a game-changer,” Sylvester told Andscape. “It was definitely a moment. I was so happy.”

For their first collaborative shoe, Sylvester and Jordan Brand took on the ambitious challenge of recreating, and ultimately mass-producing, a pair that looked and felt like a number of the Air Jordans he’d essentially destroyed on his bike during his travels around the globe. Sylvester provided Jordan with personal sneakers, notably an old pair of Shadow 1s, and photos illustrating just how worn his shoes could get. And with that inspiration, the brand’s design team set to work.

BMX rider Nigel Sylvester shows off each colorways of his Air Jordan 4 RM shoes.

Jordan Brand

“It was just about being myself,” Sylvester told Andscape. “I’ll put on my Jordans, I’ll ride in them, and they’ll naturally wear out because of what I do. My bike doesn’t have brakes. So when I have to stop, my foot hits the ground or my tire digs in. So the shoes naturally wear out. Being able to take that story and share it with the brand and the world, I was just honored and grateful for that first opportunity.”

The BMX pro still remembers the moment then-Jordan footwear designer Frank Cooke first showed him the ultimate Air Jordan 1 “Nigel Sylvester” shoe.

“We were actually editing and Frank Cooke called me on FaceTime and said, ‘Hey, it’s here. It’s done,’” Sylvester recalled. “I said, ‘Send me the shoe right now. FedEx it and send it to me as soon as possible!’ I got it a few days later and I was blown away. It looked so beautiful, man. I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, my collaboration with the Air Jordan 1 changed my life.”

More than five years after his debut Air Jordan, Sylvester returns with two more Air Jordan 4 designs, telling the story of the house and elders who helped result in that defining moment in his life when he received his first BMX bike.

“When I think about my family and my parents leaving Granada and how brave they were to come to New York to take advantage of this opportunity, it means everything to me,” Sylvester told Andscape. “I’m proud of them because I understand the sacrifice that comes with leaving your home and your comfort zone to go on a whole new journey. I channel that energy. I have my whole career. Because for me, it’s always been that mindset that I’m not going to fail. That I’m going to achieve whatever I set my mind to because of the people who sacrificed so much for me to get here.”

Sylvester hasn’t managed to destroy the Air Jordan project just yet. And it doesn’t appear to be his relentless sneaker ride shall be halted anytime soon.

“I’d like to touch a Jordan 3 someday,” Sylvester told Andscape. “Maybe someday.”

Aaron Dodson is a sports and culture author at Andscape. He primarily covers sneakers/apparel and hosts the platform’s Sneaker Box video series. During Michael Jordan’s two seasons with the Washington Wizards within the early 2000s, the Air Jordan 9 “Flint” kicked off his passion for footwear.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Travis Kelce’s ex fuels Russell Wilson cheating rumors weeks after Teyana Taylor scandal

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3 hours ago

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November 2, 2024

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Influencer Kayla Nicole blasted for past

Paying tribute to celebrities and their iconic profession looks can either be rather well received by their legions of fans, or it could actually end terribly. Influencer Kayla Nicole received a mixture of each reactions when she recreated moments from considered one of Ciara’s hottest music videos, “Ride,” for Halloween.

This 12 months marks 15 years for the reason that single from the album “Basic Instinct” became an enormous success. Ciara surprised fans when she proved she still had every ounce of sex appeal from her 20s by donning a black swimsuit and a floor-length fur coat, identical to within the music video. “I still do it,” she teased on Instagram with a winking emoji and a black heart.

Influencer Kayla Nicole has slammed previous "weird" tweets about Ciara and Russell Wilson after dressing up as the singer for Halloween. (Photos: Iamkaylanicole/Instagram; Ciara/Instagram)
Influencer Kayla Nicole has slammed previous “weird” tweets about Ciara and Russell Wilson after dressing up because the singer for Halloween. (Photos: @ciara/Instagram; @Iamkaylanicole/Instagram)

Around the identical time, Kayla also uploaded carousel posts featuring clips and photos from her music video-inspired photo shoot. Like the singer, she donned a black one-piece swimsuit, a fur coat, black tights, a crop top and an A-line hat, and twisted her hips while performing among the original choreography. Knowing she was sure to cause a stir online, she wrote, “Ciara…..uh huuuhhhh!” as considered one of the inscriptions.

One of comments received the statement: “No you and Ciara had the identical idea in mind, lol! “A second follower, praising her efforts, wrote: ‘You haven’t got to destroy the Internet like that.’ However, one other discussion ensued on Twitter, with the singer’s fans being more annoyed with Kayla than approving of her dressing up because the artist for the viral moment.

“Wait, Kayla Nicole dressed up as Teyana Taylor to be mean because she slept with Iman… Now she dressed up as Ciara. Mr. Girl. Don’t even play. Russell would never do this. Better never, a tweet To read.

“If I’m Ciara, I wake Russell up from his sleep. No questions asked,” one other fan hilariously tweeted.

In early October, Kayla, often called the ex-girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, caused a storm when she admitted that she trolled her skilled basketball player ex-boyfriend by dressing up as his latest famous girlfriend for Halloween.

Kayla revealed on the “Unapologetically Angel” podcast, hosted by WNBA star Angel Reese, that she had a crazy response when her then-NBA boyfriend dumped her via text message to pursue a relationship with the famous singer/actress. She remembers being heartbroken, claiming she moved to New York to be closer to the Knicks player before their romance ended.

“He’s breaking up with me. She dumps me, leaves, and this 12 months for Halloween I dressed up as her,” she admitted. While she didn’t give any hints about the costume, Instagram users were quick to post photos of her on Halloween in 2016, wearing a sports bra and thong similar to what Teyana Taylor wore in Kanye West’s music video for “Fade.” The super sleuths eventually discovered that Iman Shumpert was the previous Knicks player for whom Kayla moved to New York.

Shumpert and the “Gonna Love Me” singer announced their courtship in 2014. They married in 2016 and welcomed two daughters before divorcing this 12 months.

Taylor responded to this little matter in a now-deleted Instagram post that stated partially, “he turned around and tried to bully a black woman who was married to her situation… Why dress up as me? …The crazy part about it all is that I actually showed love under the photo when she posted it.” While it’s unclear whether Kayla and Ciara ever crossed paths, the singer didn’t join the hundreds of others who liked posts paying tribute to “Ride.”

Many others criticized the influencer for previous tweets disparaging the couple. One critic wrote, “Tell her to reserve it. I keep in mind that tweet about Ciara and Russell Wilson “force-feeding their love” Kayla Nicole, it still seems weird to me. While one other he asked “Isn’t this the same girl who said Ciara and her man were annoying her?”

Still, Ciara’s followers shut down any rumors suggesting that Kayla and Ciara’s husband of eight years, Russell Wilson, may need ever laid eyes on Kayla.

The couple, who’ve been together since 2015 and have 4 children, have never been caught in any confirmed cheating scandal.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Erykah Badu attacked, reignites fire for Beyoncé fans after calling out Jay Z and accusing the singer of stealing her style

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5 hours ago

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November 2, 2024

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The buzz of swarming bees is music to Erykah Badu’s ears, which also includes real insects and fiercely loyal followers who pledge their allegiance to Beyoncé.

As for speculative fans, each women consider Texas their home state, but there isn’t any semblance of a relationship between them. They have evolved into one of the most unsuspecting rivals in music over the last yr, largely as a result of Badu several times attacking the “Beautiful Liar” singer’s creative integrity, or perceived lack thereof.

On multiple occasion, the Neo-Soul star saw her comments crammed with bee emojis, marking an all-out digital attack from the BeyHive, angered by her snubbing Beyoncé.

Erykah Badu is facing the ire of Beyonce’s Beehive fans after more questionable remarks about the singer in a brand new interview. (Photos: @erykahbadu/Instagram; @beyonce/Instagram)

A number of months after his last sting, Badu asks one query: “Where is the hive now?” He appeared on Halloween episode “The Breakfast Club,” where hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne tha God, and guest Lauren LaRosa didn’t hesitate to ask the artist if she was being targeted by her modern fans.

“I haven’t seen BeyHive in a long time. And I love bees,” she replied shyly. “They do not know I prefer it. I like bees. This is my totem… They will tear me to pieces.

In 2023, Badu angered countless members of the hive when she derisively remarked that she was “everyone’s stylist” while showing photos of herself and Beyoncé wearing similarly large, metallic, wide-brimmed hats.

The global pop star was on the Renaissance Tour at the time and recurrently used the accessory as part of her stage costume collection, although the look harks back to her time on the Lemonade Tour in 2016.

When Badu faced backlash for the comment, she hopped on Twitter to call for support. “To JAY Z. Say something to Jay. You left, you let that woman and those bees do this to me?”

When asked about the intentions behind her decision to involve Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s husband, in the fight, the Dallas native replied that it was all a joke. “I don’t know why people take everything so seriously. It’s just my sense of humor. I love Jay,” she joked.

Badu said earlier Standard that BeyHive never gave her the opportunity to offer context to her tweet. Instead, she was “guilty before it started.”

However, the murmurs about suspected rift between the women became louder when Badu once more fueled the rumors by slamming Beyoncé for wearing Fulani braids in the cover of her “Country Carter” album.

Badu has worn the same hairstyle over the years and others throughout her profession. On The Breakfast Club, she selected her words fastidiously when she noticed her peers taking the same approach.

“Even though we love our art, it doesn’t belong to us once it comes to light… You can’t decide what people do with art. You can’t decide if they’re going to replicate it, do a different interpretation, or just enjoy it or use it as inspiration. It can’t be done, but there is no need to remain silent about it,’ she said. Badu added: “If it makes you feel any way, you should say something about it.”

The response to the interview was: “Badu is not mocking Beyhive trolling.” Someone else said her comments prove she’s jealous of Beyoncé. Although one other person suggested: “He’s weirdly obsessed with her.”

Another viewer wrote that the women’s dispute involved a 3rd party. “It’s about André 3000,” he said. André 3000 and Badu dated over twenty years ago and share a son. He collaborated with Beyoncé and even gained recognition when she received the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeart Awards.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Gayle King slams Megan Thee Stallion, calling her a ‘slut’ after confessing she lied about her relationship with Tory Lanez

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9 hours ago

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November 2, 2024

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Gayle King responds after Megan Thee Stallion admits she lied during 2023 interview. (Photos CBS Mornings / YouTube)

Gayle King is not concerned after hearing Megan Thee Stallion call her a “bitch” within the Prime rapper’s latest documentary “Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words.”

In a latest Instagram video, the “CBS Mornings” host immediately responded, saying, “Hey, I’m sitting here minding my very own business. People contact me and say, “Hey Gayle, Megan Thee Stallion just called you a bitch.”

“I do know you are expecting me, or possibly you’re thinking that I even have something negative to say. I do not. I even have nothing but great, great love and respect for Megan Thee Stallion. I’m at all times rooting for her,” King added, before turning to what she considers more necessary topics, equivalent to the 2024 election next week.

Gayle King responds after Megan Thee Stallion admits she lied during her 2023 interview. (CBS Mornings Photos/YouTube)
Gayle King responds after Megan Thee Stallion admits she lied during her 2023 interview. (CBS Mornings Photos/YouTube)

Fans responded to King’s message, defending the “Savage” rapper. Two said, “She didn’t mean it that way,” and “She said the word b—tch out of endearment, but clearly didn’t admit that Meg had lied to her.”

A 3rd fan scolded the 29-year-old for calling King by name: “I’m sorry, no matter what context she said, respect your elders… it was inappropriate and disrespectful.”

In a documentary that aired on Halloween, Megan Thee Stallion gives fans insight into her personal thoughts and feelings following the rapper’s sentencing Tory Lanez. Lanez was found guilty of three felony charges in 2022 following a 2020 shooting incident that left Megan shot within the foot.

After the controversial and widely discussed trial, the “Hot Girl” coach had a one-on-one interview on “CBS Mornings,” during which King asked her if she was intimate with Lanez.

Megan denied it on the time, but almost eight months later, during her testimony in court, she confessed that she and Lanez were close.

At the time, a lot of Lanez’s supporters and Megan’s haters took this confession as ammunition and justification for his or her claims that Megan was falsely accusing Lanez of shooting her too.

In the document, she truthfully explained why she lied to King within the interview. She said, “Fuck yeah. I lied to Gayle King, bitch. First of all, I don’t know if this female dog even wanted to ask me this shit. I thought we were going to talk about this shooting. Why are you asking me about fucking Tory? That’s not what this is about.”

The “Bigger In Texas” artist continued, “Even if I… fucked that nigga once, possibly twice on a drunken night. You kept knocking me out of my fucking mind.

Megan’s second confession is now causing backlash from fans who imagine Tory is, the truth is, innocent. Many people imagine that Megan’s former best friend, Kelsey Nicole – who was present on the time of the shooting – was the actual wrongdoer within the situation and imagine that she was the one who pulled the trigger on Megan.

Prior to the incident, Kelsey was also romantically involved with the Toronto resident, which many imagine sparked an argument between the three of them in a automobile that resulted in Megan being shot in the summertime of 2022.

Lanez is currently serving a 10-year sentence and plans to appeal his case while maintaining his innocence.

One of Lanez’s representatives released a statement to TMZ in response to the video wherein Megan admits to lying. They said: “The fact that Megan lied about her sexual relationship with Tory clearly makes her an unreliable witness. If someone lies to millions of people, how can you trust what they say next time?”


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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