in west philly

For the past decade, I've wanted to wear wear Air Jordans with a tux/suit. I wanted to do it for prom but my prom date vetoed and I was weak so I conformed and wore dress shoes, aka the lamest, most square-ish shoes a guy can ever wear.

Anyway, for some odd reason--I have never been to a wedding before in my life, and I haven't been to another formal since prom, so I never did get the chance to bust out the look. The closest I ever came was 2007 company Christmas dinner when we ate at D Diamond, some snobby pretentious high-end restaurant...I rocked the AJ IVs with black khakis, button up shirt, and a black suit jacket... but it wasn't a full on suit/tux so I still haven't really done it.

My influence for this look?

The Fresh Prince.

The Air Jordans enter the scene first at the 1:05 mark

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsW7bAWzrH8

You know, Fresh Prince is underrated and doesn't get the credit it deserves.

"But this is easily one of the most popular sitcoms--even today--and no one under 40 on earth has ever not liked the show! And it helped propel Will Smith to become the world's biggest movie star!" you say...

Yes, yes I know. I know that this show is on reruns 4, 5 times a day and there are literally millions and millions of people like me who still watch it religiously everytime it's on TV (back in the states...I'd watch it everytime it's on even though I've seen every episode like 7 times over)

But this show deserves more credit than just being another "popular sitcom" because this show, much like Do The Right Thing, helped bring hip hop culture into the mainstream. Think about this--Fresh Prince was on in prime time NBC all across America. To many people, when Geoffrey Butler is singing "down with the opp YEAH YOU KNOW ME" or when Jazz is scratching a vinyl record of Mozart or when Fresh Prince is quoting Malcom X or when Aunt Viv is singing the slavery song "Wade in the Water", chances are these the first time for many middle America Americans to come across this.

And unlike DTRT, the Prince was popular with children of all races. And it had a much more positive outlook at the world than the grim world of DTRT, where Radio Raheem gets choked to death by a White cop followed by a window getting motherfucked. Take the video clip above, after the hilarious Will Smith-hanging-with-high-society-white-folks scene, Uncle Phil gives Will a lecture. Will accuses UP of selling out, of not realizing his black roots. But then Phil lays the smack down and lets him know that being hip hop and being street isn't the only way to stick to your roots and to know your past. This show has a message that all minorities and the discriminated should listen to.

If they show this on TVB right now local folks would be watching.

This show had a big part in helping expand the culture. Remember, this show debuted just a few years after Do The Right Thing, and DTRT is being studied and analyzed in universities because it's considered an innovative and seminal culture movement in American society. Why aint Fresh Prince getting similar love? Will Smith had the entire nation doing the rapping.

If you from America, you know the Fresh Prince rap. Simple as that.