Anuel AA’s Debut Sneaker Has the Rapper Pondering Latin Music’s World Domination
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Anuel AA just took a big step in his career, teaming up with Reebok and Foot Locker, Inc. for his first collaborative sneaker line, “The Sky Above the Street.”
Bringing two sneakers — takes on the Reebok Classic Leather and Pump Omni Zone 2 — Anuel’s “The Sky Above the Street” collection draws inspiration from the rapper’s hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico. Both sneakers feature red and black colorways, which are “inspired by the sun-faded vibrant urban neighborhoods of Puerto Rico,” per the brand. Fans will also spot subtle references to Anuel and his music in the kicks, such as nods to the rapper’s jewelry, his debut album, Real Hasta La Muerte, and a Carolina flag ermine tail.
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Anuel’s signature Reebok Classic Leather and Pump Omni Zone 2 are priced at $100 and $170, respectively, and are available for purchase now exclusively at FootLocker.com and ChampsSports.com.
“This first sneaker deal is to go to the next level, fashion-wise, but still maintain my essence,” Anuel tells Rolling Stone. “Growing up, I didn’t have money to buy the Jordans, to buy the Nikes. I only had money to buy the Reeboks. So it’s perfect to be with Reebok because my main family is people from the streets,” he explains.
As part of “The Sky Above the Street” launch, Anuel returned to those streets of Puerto Rico. Earlier this week at a Foot Locker retail location in San Juan, the rapper hosted a meet and greet for anyone who picked up a pair of his sneakers. “It’s really special for me to go back and be there in Puerto Rico when the sneaker drops, and spend time with the people that really made me,” says Anuel.
Like many stateside rappers before him, Anuel expresses deep connection and responsibility for his hometown, Puerto Rico, and the Latin community at large. His end goal with making music, he says, is to “leave the door open so the Spanish community and the Spanish industry just keeps growing.” But he also says that the growth of the Latin music industry requires collaboration: “[Spanish artists] got to unite to keep pushing the Spanish music out there, keep making it bigger and bigger, and just see: one day we’ll make it the number one music in the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s for an hour or for a second.”
Anuel sees this world-domination of Latin music as imminent, saying, “I think the door is just open and if it’s not open, we knocking it down. And it’s just a matter of time.” Anuel also compares the scale of Latin artists to those in the U.S.: “Spanish music is the number one in the world right now. Like Americans, right now they got Drake. OK, we got Bad Bunny. Y’all got Travis Scott and Post Malone. Ok, we got J Balvin,” he says. “I love being part of this era right now.”
Be sure to pick up Anuel’s signature Reebok sneakers now at FootLocker.com or ChampsSports.com before they sell out. And be on the lookout for the 29-year-olds upcoming album Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren 2 — he says he’s finishing it up right now.
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