In the many press releases we have read it states that Hilltop Hoods have a long standing relationship with DC Shoes. That may come as a surprise to the general public, so just how long have you guys been involved with the skate brand?
I don't think it would come as a surprise to any of our listeners, we've been rocking DC gear for a while now, we've been involved with
them for about four years.
How did DC approach you to get this off the ground?
The idea of having us remix a sneaker came up a while ago but to be honest we never took it too seriously as we didn't think it would
happen. It's such a big thing. When the idea started taking shape and was looking like becoming a reality we were like 'Shit, this is really happening.'
It's really nothing new for a hip hop act to get involved in collaborating with a sneaker, however you guys would have to be the first in Australia to pop that cherry. What is your shoe going to bring to the Hilltop Hood fanbase?
Lightning fast reflexes and a tonne of charisma, haha.
Do you see other peeps who may not be into your band rocking the shoe? Or is this made specifically for the fans?
It's getting sold in places like Panama where we don't even have distribution so it's definitely likely there will be people copping the sneakers who aren't familiar with the music. That's why we've got the little promo CD in there. To tell you the truth that was one of
the most appealing things about doing the sneaker for us, being able to spread our music further.
Give us some highlights of the shoe, from the lyrics imprinted into the sock liner, to the Hilltop Hoods logo on the back of the shoe.
Putting lyrics in the interior of the shoe was one of the ideas we were really feeling so we approached a local writer Adrok about doing
the design. It was really significant as he's from the crew (Nasty Arts) that we talk about in that song. As for the design on the back, that ties in with the lyrics, as it's an illustration of Adelaide (the 'City of Light'). John Engelhardt did that design, he does all of our
album illustrations.
Just how much input did you guys have when designing the shoe and how do you go about picking a style? Do DC showcase a number of styles to you guys and then you choose through a process of elimination, or are you already told
what shoe you will be collaborating on?
We had complete creative control pretty much, which was really cool of DC. Basically they asked us to select a model that we were in to, and to take it from there. It was pretty easy for us to agree on a model (DC Pride's) as we're all in to the more slim line sneakers rather than the bulkier skate sneakers.
Are any of the guys into skating when you're not on stage killing it live?
Back in the day we were. I used to ride a Tony Hawk ramp board, unfortunately I was a street skater, haha. I wasn't that great but I
fucking loved skating though.
What's up next for the Hoods?
We're about to head off for some shows in Germany and Canada then it's back home to work on a new record.
Are there any plans to break into the US market now that you have gone global with a massive sneaker brand and branched out to a wider audience?
Yeah, this year we're really going to concentrate on getting our music around the globe, the sneaker's going to be really helpful in doing
that.
The shoe is in store as of 1st February 2008. The recommended retail price is AUD$129.95 and its available at the usual DC stockists. Enquiries for stockists can come via 1800 785 133 (DC Customer Service) or via sales online at Obese Records www.obeserecords.com.
Peep more pics of the shoe here http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/sneaker-releases/Hilltop-Hoods-X-Dc-pride/
www.hilltophoods.com
