Air Force Ones

This song was written and performed by the St. Louis hip hop artist Nelly, from his 2002 album Nellyville, and features Kyjuan, Ali and Murphy Lee from his Hip-Hop group St. Lunatics. The song finds Nelly and his crew purchasing Nike Air Force Ones footwear.

Nelly recalled to XXL magazine how joking around with his partners spawned a hit tune: "We had got the beat from some producers back home and we had heard it—we were playing it in the dressing room as we were getting ready for the show… We had just talked about leaving the mall and my sister who used to do my styling at the time was getting things for the show—mighta been some fresh new Air Forces—and Murph [Murphy Lee] was like, 'Man you shoulda got me like two peerrr or somethin'' like that you know what I'm sayin' [laughs] and we just started playing with that and integrating that into the hook. It's funny with us, we're family first so I guess when you get around family they tend to bring out certain things in you. I don't wanna say you act more goofy or whatever, but you more relaxed around your family so things like that come out."

Nike Air Force Ones was the first basketball shoe to use the Nike Air technology. The name is a reference to Air Force One, the plane that carries the President of the United States. They were originally considered the favored shoe of inner-city youth, before Hip-Hop artists and streetball players adopted them.