Ewing Athletics Uses a 1989 Rap Classic to Reimagine Its 33 Hi Sneaker

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Further solidifying its ties with the hip-hop community, the next Ewing Athletics sneaker release is a nod to legendary Long Island, New York rap group EPMD and its classic sophomore album, “Unfinished Business.”

For its next drop, the namesake brand of NBA great Patrick Ewing dressed its classic 33 Hi silhouette in colors synonymous with EPMD’s “Unfinished Business” album cover. The marriage between the sneaker and the album is a natural one, with both debuting in the 1980s and disrupting their respective industries.

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The EPMD x Ewing Athletics 33 Hi “Unfinished Business” is made with premium suede and tumbled leather. The uppers are gray, white and black, and the look is completed with black and white midsoles and icy blue outsoles. The sneakers feature EPMD branding on the tongue, NBA legend Patrick Ewing’s signature on the lateral side of the upper and both 33 and Ewing on the heels.

“When you talk New York basketball and when you talk about the New York Knicks, Patrick Ewing is in the forefront of the conversation of being one of the greats to represent when it came to the New York Knicks. Dope collaboration with hip-hop and Ewing 33,” Parish Smith, one half of EPMD, said of the sneaker in a statement.

The EPMD x Ewing Athletics 33 Hi “Unfinished Business” arrives on June 26 via Ewingathletics.com and will retail for $140.

This EPMD-themed sneaker is the second with the group from Ewing Athletics. In 2018, the brand and the rap duo worked together on a 33 Hi sneaker made to resemble the cover of “Strictly Business,” the classic debut album from EPMD. Ewing Athletics said the sneaker was an instant sell-out and led the group to want to work on another.

The last rap-themed sneaker release from the brand arrived on May 29, the Death Row x Ewing Athletics 33 Hi “White/Royal,” which was a nod to one of California rap’s most underrated albums of all time: Tha Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food.”

Although this is the second sneaker with EMPD, the group is not the most frequent source of inspiration for the brand. Ewing Athletics has created three sneakers inspired by late rap legend Big Pun, with the last hitting stores on March 27, a 33 Hi that resembles his “Yeeeah Baby” album cover.

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