In a line that stretched around the Crash Mansion and well into an accompanying parking lot full of elegant yet monstrous motorcycles, it was easy to tell that every person came out in hip-hop’s version of their Sunday’s best clothing for the preeminent sneaker event of the year: Sneaker Pimps.

Hosted at the Crash Mansion in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, b-boys, b-girls, graf artists, skaters, rappers, singers, models and posers alike flooded the venue, hoping to either catch a glimpse at some of the hottest shoes on the market, cop some of the most exclusive wares, upgrade their closet game with a variety of upcoming brands or simply revel in the atmosphere.

Whether you came in Jordan’s, Air Force Ones, Dunks or Pumps, the love for a culture that was originally limited to a small portion of the hip-hop world has exploded into an unbridled appreciation of its unrivaled style, original artwork and eccentric flavor.

Creativity was taken to the next level, as some of the artists eschewed the typical multi-colored shoes and drew inspiration from everything. Wood grain shoes, dedications to the likes of Ghostface Killah and sneakers that resembled cereal boxes were elegant pieces, but the more innovative kicks had more resemblance with childhood toys, as artists turned ordinary shoes into remote control cars, Transformers, even a Nintendo Entertainment System (complete with a Super Mario Bros. cartridge).

While most of the party people were there to stunt in their hard-to-find shoes, others were there simply to catch a peek at some of the most outrageously creative works of art around. Painters designed a giant-sized K-Swiss while local acts performed. Acclaimed sneaker artist Sole Junkie created another masterpiece using Hook-Up Paint, a highly durable acrylic, yet the most creative sneakers there were on the feet of Michael Norris - whose BYN (Break Your Neck) Custom have graced the feet of The Game, Kanye West, Travis Barker, Sean Kingston and Bow Wow among others – and his puzzle-inspired Air Force Ones , covered in Swarovski crystals.

While skaters pulled off tricks on the half-pipe ramp outside, the DJs spun everything, from Channel Live to Lil Wayne. The host kept the crowd amped, even telling them to smack the first person they see with fake shoes on. The audience went nuts, however, as Brick City’s own Redman crashed the stage, ripping through his extensive catalog and hilariously spraying the crowd with beer.

For those who thought that Los Angeles’ sneaker culture were only limited to Chuck Taylors , Sneaker Pimps proved any naysayer wrong. Whether trying to pick up a pair of MF DOOM Dunks or just lounging in you De La Soul kicks, Friday night was the place to be.

pics: Meka Udoh

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2007 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Shoes, Lifestyle Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.