Drake and Future's mixtape What A Time to Be Alive has sparked a lot of debate on the internet. Amongst sneaker circles, there's been a huge obsession with the rappers' numerous references to Jordan Brand.
The track "Jumpman" is no exception to this trend and it's all thanks to the re-appropriation of the Air Jordan logo that the two hip hop artists are both big fans of. If you're not familiar with what the logo means, it is a silhouette of Michael Jordan performing a slam dunk.
MJ's jumpman was created by Nike to promote their basketball shoes, and it has become one of the most recognizable symbols in pop culture. So when Drizzy and Future decided to reference the iconic Jordan logo on their joint track, it was a great way to capitalize on the brand's popularity.
In the song, Drake raps about his close relationship with MJ, mentioning that "Chi-town chi-town Michael Jordan just said text me" and Future calls out "Bentley Spurs and Phantoms Jordan fadeaway."
While most rappers don't usually rap about shoes (it's just another slang word for basketball), there's a good reason why this particular track is getting all the attention. It's because Drake is signed to a shoe deal with Team Jordan, so it's natural for him to reference their product.
But what's even more interesting is the way that Future uses the same reference in a different context. He mentions "choppers," and the Urban Dictionary tells us that this means "a weapon used for shooting people." And, he goes on to say, "Taliban, taliban Jumpman."
