technical:
QED
'Felon Sneakers' - a poem by Dr Gerald Deas (1985)
(Emphasis from the original. Reproduced by permission of the author)
PEACE BLACK BROTHER.
THE RACE OF LIFE IS HARD AND LONG
AND YOUR SNEAKERS HAVE TO BE TIGHT
LIFE'S ROAD IS BUMPY AND HARD
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WIN THIS FIGHT
THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT
YOUR FELON SNEAKERS CAN FILL THE BILL
BECAUSE THOSE SNEAKERS ARE USUALLY WORN
BY BLACK BROTHERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR WILL
WHEN OUR UNFORTUNATE BLACK BROTHERS GO TO JAIL
THE LAW MAN TIES UP THEIR FEET
HE MAKES THEM WEAR FELON SNEAKERS
WITH LACES THAT CANNOT MEET
THOSE FELON SNEAKERS SLIP UP AND DOWN,
WHEN THE BLACK BROTHERS TRY TO RUN.
NOBODY HAS TO WORRY ABOUT THEM.
NOT EVEN THE LAW MAN WITH THE GUN.
NOW TO ALL MY YOUNG BLACK BROTHERS,
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO WIN THE RACE,
TIGHTEN UP ON YOUR LACES,
SO, YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH THE PACE.
SO TIGHTEN UP ON YOUR SNEAKERS
PUT A GOAL RIGHT IN YOUR MIND,
PUT YOUR NOSE TO THAT GRINDSTONE,
AND SUCCESS IN LIFE, YOU WILL FIND.
What is a moral panic?
"A form of collective behaviour characterized by widely circulating rumours
which greatly exaggerate the threat posed by some newly identified form of deviance. In a moral panic, there is a heightened level of concern over the
behaviour of a certain group and a greater than normal fear about the consequences of this
behaviour for the rest of society. The sentiment generated by the newly identified threat is referred to by sociologists as a 'kind of fever -- characterized by heightened emotion, fear, dread, anxiety, hostility and a strong feeling of righteousness."
- Anne Hendershott in the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2002
"We're gonna tell you about a few felony cases / That started with the brothers with the fat shoe laces"
- 929 'Felon Sneakers' 1985.
"My Adidas only bring good news / And they are not used as felon shoes" - Run DMC 'My Adidas' 1986
Felony:
1. One of several grave crimes, such as murder, rape, or burglary, punishable by a more stringent sentence than that given for a misdemeanor.
(from answers.com)
In 1985, the Guardian Society (an organisation of African-American police officers in the New York Police Department) circulated 100,000 copies of a poem called 'Felon Sneakers' by African-American community activist and physician Dr Gerald Deas (from Hollis, Queens, New York City).
The aim of the poem was to get the African American youth to,
"tighten up on your sneakers / Put a goal right in your mind / Put your nose to that grindstone / And success in life, you will find"
A rap version of the poem voiced by two African American college graduates under the name of 929 was released the same year on Creative Funk Records based in Maryland.
Dr Deas told me in a November 2005 letter that when African American young men were caught by police after committing a crime, the police would take their shoe laces so they couldn't run away.
In the poem, Deas talked about how "black brothers" in prison were made to wear sneakers with laces that can't tie up. Deas told the New York Daily News in the same year that the styles which had became street-fashionable (wearing fat laces, no laces or loose laces) tended to hinder the development of black youth. Malcolm Bernard wrote in his book 'Fashion As Communication' that laces were removed in American prisons to prevent them being used as a ligature.
It is no leap of imagination to suggest that the poem and song may have helped inspire fellow Hollis, Queens residents Run DMC's classic hip hop song 'My Adidas' which followed a year later and was used by Run's brother (and the group's manager) Russell Simmons alongside Lyor Cohen to help get them an endorsement deal in 1986. This deal was significant as Run DMC were the first non-sportsmen to get an endorsement from a sportswear manufacturer. Run DMC famously wore their sneakers without laces. The sneaker which we associate with Run DMC (the Superstar model) was launched in the United States as a basketball shoe in 1969. In 2002 the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health honoured both Dr Deas and Russell Simmons!
With lyrics such as, "I wore my sneakers but I'm not a sneak" and "No shoe string in 'em, I did not win 'em / I bought em off the Ave with the tags still in 'em" with D mentioning his "famous university" and performing at Live Aid, this is to me is a song as much about a positive, crime-free lifestyle as about a brand.
These events of the mid-80's were echoed recently with UK rapper Lady Sovereign's song (Adidas) 'Hoodie'. Hooded sweatsuit tops, baseball caps and swearing were banned in May 2005 from Bluewater shopping centre in Kent as part of a zero-tolerence crackdown on anti-social behaviour in co-operation with Kent Police. Bluewater property manager Helen Smith said on bbc.co.uk that there were nearly 400 CCTV cameras at the huge Bluewater complex which were being constantly monitored! This was is the context of what could be argued was a wider moral panic in the media about 'chavs'.
It was reported on guardian.co.uk in August 2005 that Angus council in Scotland had approved the creation of a sculpture of a woman wearing a hoodie. Fine arts graduate Des Smith was to make the bronze piece.
"The central idea of the work is to provoke discussion regarding the issues surrounding 'the problem of youth' and an often demonised and scapegoated section of modern society," said Smith. Sovreign followed in November 2005 suggesting that we, "Fling on an Adidas hoodie and just boogie woogie." with her on her single. The song from a male perspective I suppose is about females dressing to dance (rather than to impress) and really does not engage with the wider issues, apart from a reference to a bouncer who approaches the Mona Lisa of 'grime' music because she is ".dressed really inappropriately / No hoods, no hats". And for that reason it can be argued that the song lacked the power and impact of 'My Adidas'.
The video for the Mizz Beats remix of Sov's song features 'grime' MCs Skepta, JME, Jammer, Ears and Baby Blue. It is visually stunning and the lyrics echo Run DMC: JME states while wearing a vintage Run DMC Adidas t-shirt (under a hoodie, naturally) that "I'm not a goodie goodie / Cos I'm rockin my Adidas hoodie". Ears remind those who stereotype, "If you see me in the ends with my hoodie doesn't mean that I'm a hoodlum". But this song also lacks the power of 'My Adidas' as the artists haven't yet blazed the trail through popular culture that Run DMC had when they made the song (the first rappers on MTV etc).
Also in November 2005 Darryl McDaniels (aka DMC) announced that he had ended his 20-year association with Adidas. DMC said he was not just signing a new shoe deal and had refused offers until he found a shoe that reflected his individual style. He was quoted on allhiphop.com as saying, "I put those shoes on and it was a wrap. I finally found the sneaker I was looking for. Finally I could get out of my shell-toes."
Also in the same month it was reported on oregonlive.com that after over 30 years of outfitting Olympic athletes with three stripes, Adidas-Salomon AG was to replace the trademark for the 2006 Winter Olympics due to new size restrictions on corporate logos. Sovreign may sing "We like our three stripes" on the Hoodie remix, but the company will introduce a new design, a chain made up of horizontal number 3s on sleeves and shorts for the Olympic Games in Italy in 2006. The design (not a trademark like the Nike swoosh) does not have to stick to the 20 square-centimetre size rule on logos. Gary Aspden (the 'Global Head of Entertainment and Promotions' for Adidas) along with his colleagues are currently carpet bombing the London 'grime' scene artists with product. If sport is regulating sportswear logos, shouldn't hip hop / urban culture? I vote for the Zulu Nation to be in charge of this.
It is a sad indictment that the only way one could see the living legends MC Shan and Doug E Fresh ('The Original Human Beatbox') perform in the UK in 2005 is when they are booked to help Puma promote their (according to KRS One in 1987) "wack" Clyde sneakers at an invite-only London club party in October. Is that all these artists are good for now in the UK?
"There is nothing new under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9-14
The recent Channel U smash 'Mind My Creps' ('mind my sneakers' in American English) by Alaye echoes the lyrics of Carl Perkins' early rock and roll number 'Blue Suede Shoes' later covered by the 'racist' Elvis Presley.
-
Chris Byrne
This is an extract from Chris Byrne's book 'Soft Drinks and Hard
Rhymes'. He is currently looking a publisher for this book. For
more information, please contact: cwjbyrne @ gmail . com
Moral Panic Marketing
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