Exclusive – J Dilla would have turned 47 years old on Sunday (February 7), but the universe had other plans. The legendary producer passed away in 2006 following a battle with lupus, although his official cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest.
February 7 also happens to be the 15th anniversary of Dilla’s seminal album
Donuts, which was released in 2006, just three days before his untimely death. The 31-track masterpiece incorporated Dilla’s diverse musical palate into one colorful gumbo from the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC and Mantronix to James Brown, Frank Zappa and Kool & The Gang.
Executive produced by Stones Throw Records label head Peanut Butter Wolf,
Long a worldwide staple, but one with especially rich roots in Los Angeles,
Nike‘s Cortez is now saluting the city that made it iconic with a new “Los Angeles” makeup. Offering a City of Angels-centric color scheme and special details the “Los Angeles” is all about the West Coast, from the tip-top of its upper to the lowest groove on its toothed herringbone outsole.
Originally released in 1972 for the Olympic Games, the Cortez is considered by many to be the first “modern” running shoe. However, in the years since it’s become a style staple thanks to its unique, slim shape and no-frills build. On the West Coast it’s often worn with tube socks and shorts a sartorial setup that was cleverly acknowledged by Kendrick Lamar in a 2018 “House Shoes” collaboration and here it’s designed to fit seamlessly into that classic look, dressed in a crisp white leather with rich Los Angeles Dodgers blue Swooshes, heel tabs and collar liners.