Source: Jacques Slade / Jacques Slade
Name: Jacques Slade
Occupation: Sneaker Documentarian
Location: Los Angeles
How We Know Him: Kustoo has rapper, actor and musical director on his resume but he’s best known for keeping us up to date on all things sneakers via his YouTube channel.
Why We Chose Him: With more than 1.1 million subscribers, he’s a legit influencer delivering informative and insightful info minus any douchey baggage.
What’s Next: Slade is constantly refining his content and linking with brands like Nike who seek his expertise.
IG: @kustoo
Jacques Slade is crafting a career out of talking about sneakers. Okay, it is a bit more complicated than that, but talk about a dream gig.
But the real-life sneaker documentarian has put in much to carve his lane and come to fame by entertainingly and expertly detailing new releases, unboxing the most exclusive kicks and recording the culture in ways that keeps both devout sneakerheads and shoe laymen tuning in. A former rapper (who still gets gig blessing Hollywood with his musical expertise), Slade started as a writer before gravitating in front of the camera to share his knowledge. Slade’s YouTube page remains a standout in an increasingly crowded sneaker video space.
When Hip-Hop Wired recently caught up with Slade, he dropped a jewel any Black kid looking to make a mark, in any industry, should take to heart. Said Slade, “As Black people I feel like a lot of times if you come from a certain type neighborhood, you don’t feel like success is something that you should have. Or that these opportunities or windows aren’t going to open up for you.
He added, “You have to take that risk and step outside what’s happening in your neighborhood or step outside of what you’ve always been taught or what people have always told you, and know that there are opportunities out there for you. [With] social media; Youtube, Instagram and all that stuff, it’s a totally different playing field now. There are opportunities to do whatever it is you want.”
Detailing the wants and needs of sneakerheads, and commentary on sports and Pop culture, makes Jacques Slade a go to follow on social media, and if you want to keep it a buck, life.
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