Black history month is around the corner and Ewing Athletics isn’t wasting any time rolling out their creations for the month.

Now for the last few years my complaint has been that most BHM packs, collections, or individual sneaker releases have been boring and lazy, opting to just throw some tribal prints and kenté cloth on a sneaker and calling it a day. I’ve argued that brands should let African-American designers, artists, celebrities, etc. collaborate on a sneaker, or curate a collection. Somebody at Ewing Athletics heard me.

And it’s fitting that a fiercely independent, Grammy Award winning artist such as David Banner is the collaborator in this case.

David Banner: rapper, versatile activist, actor – he’s probably most known to the younger generation as “Philly Street” from the hit TV series “Empire”. The thing I love about sneakers is that often times they tell stories. And sometimes, those stories educate and inspire. You might see a shoe based on a person, place, or thing (I guess I could’ve saved us all some time by just using the word “noun”. Lol), and become interested enough to research further into the subject matter. This was the case with me and this shoe.

Instead of just making money, and being one dimensional, David took the time to take a step back and reevaluate the industry as a whole. He’s now the head of his own media company, A Banner Vision, and looking to do more this decade. He’s cementing the groundwork, and building a platform, that will help teach people in our community how to leave a generational legacy. David is quoted as saying, “We create so many styles. Most of the things popular on Earth come from young Black people. Now we need ownership and to guide where it goes. We create what’s popping. So it’s time for our community to benefit.”

And as the sole owner of his likeness and trademark, one would like to think Patrick Ewing also understood the value of Black ownership. But back to the shoe.

Drawing inspiration from the Pan-African flag, this latest Ewing Rogue is dressed in red, black, and green. Even as simple as that sounds, there’s something deeper with this particular shoe. Several green hues hit this shoe in order to create a unique camo look that pops with the red. The Black Fist, a worldwide symbol of resistance, is featured on the tongue. Overall, this sneaker collaboration between David Banner and Ewing Athletics offers our community a refreshing interpretation of the Pan-African theme for a new decade.

The David Banner x Ewing Rogue is drops today, for $140, exclusively at EwingAthletics.com.