It’s been some time since Kanye West and Jay-Z were both seen wearing sneakers, but that’s exactly what took place in the back alley set of the recently released “Otis” video. The entire video has somewhat of a throwback appeal, where metaphor and visual interpretations are cast out in favor of the braggadocio video of yesteryear. The message is simple, and Jay-Z conveys it best when he poignantly proffers, “I invented swag” and the video mimics that statement. Their Maybach spits fire and is filled with a gaggle of girls, and their style choices are clean and focus on the footwear.

Kanye trades in his Louboutins for a high-top pair of Infrared Air Jordan VIs. While Kanye has been known to test the limits of acceptable style, his look in the video is toned down with a white shirt, light jeans and a focal point of Air Jordans. It’s clear that when it comes to kicks, Kanye prefers his sneakers high-topped. The original Air Yeezys reach for the sky, and all of the conjecture surrounding his sophomore effort suggest they’ll be another pair of sky-scrapers.

Jay-Z keeps things relatively simple, as well, in a clean pair of Air Jordan 1 “Banned.” These are a remake of the original pair in the Jordan signature line that violated the NBA dual-color policy and thus incurred a fine with each and every wear. In the video, Jay matches them up nicely with a custom Don C x Mitchell and Ness snakeskin Yankees hat. While certainly a break from Jay’s stylistic inclinations to rock all-black everything, the look is relaxed yet in your face. Who takes the sneaker cake in the “Otis” video?

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