Def Jam. The two words have become synonymous with culture, style and great music. Beginning in a dorm room, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin wanted to make music, hip-hop music. Def meant cool; hip or stylish and Def Jam provided the soundtrack to accompany the lifestyle. And this was only the beginning. The reputation of Def Jam started with the signing of the inimitable LL Cool J and was cemented with the addition of acts like Run DMC, Method Man, Redman, The Roots and more recently, Young Jeezy and Ghostface. The collaboration between Def Jam and adidas is a celebration of two entities embedded in the biggest cultural phenomenon of our generation: Hip Hop.

Superstar x Ghostface
Ghostface remains a cult favourite for his brace of Def Jam long players and effortless ability to slip from smooth soul lyricism to crime rhyme storytelling in an instant. The Wu Tang member’ s adidas Def Jam releases follow a similar path, and this Superstar’s look is a darker affair than his Forum, blending Wu Tang yellow with black, as ‘Fishscale’ texture 3-Stripes represent the acclaimed album while complimenting the herringbone outsole pattern. The black and white midsole with a ‘Ghostface’ heel emboss, and upper in a leather, nylon mesh and ripstop fabric blend are effective, completed by a tonal ‘G’ print, Pretty Tone himself on the tongue and a scale sockliner design.

Stan Smith x Method Man
Staten Island’s Method Man, the self-proclaimed Ticallion Stallion, as printed on the heels of these simple Stan Smith makeups, gets this adidas bestseller lifted with a mix of black and yellow that matches fellow Wu Tang icon Ghostface’s Superstar. The suede upper,with a tonal ‘M’ heel emboss is set on a clean white midsole and yellow pimple outsole, completed with an image of Mr Meth himself on the tongue and illustrated sockliner.

Forum x Young Jeezy
Atlanta’s Young Jeezy represents for Def Jam’s new breed, shifting units while staying true to his Thug Motivation 101 life lessons. Working with the sturdy Forum Mid shape, the Snowman brings a design perfect for the club or the corner. Stealthy black leather on the upper on a white midsole, alongside a denim-style fabric carries a gold logo representing Jeezy, alongside a car paintwork themed dose of neon green for details like the 3-Stripes and heel counter completing a perfect representation of the artist, and a future classic that proves the extent of the Forum’s versatility and longevity, as this meeting-of-minds brings the biggest stars and shoes together.

Samba x Def Jam
A militaristic Def Jam makeover for the Samba sees the soccer classic capturing the spirit of the label’s more hardrock signees in army green. Ripstop nylon and suede are accompanied by white canvas 3-Stripes, an army-style tongue patch, with a white midsole, plus and orange ‘Def Jam’ tab and brand detailing.

Nizza x Def Jam
Following the military look of the Samba in this range, the boot-look of the Nizza gets a resilient-looking makeover too. Once again, army green with white canvas 3-Stripes make for a killer combination, while the orange foxing and trim sets things off perfectly Suede replaces rubber for the toe bumper and the tonal ‘Def Jam’ embroidery and adidas/Def Jam branding on the heel reinforces the timeless relevance of both brands.