Another Slam Dunk for Nike & Wu-Tang Clan with an Assist from Ben Solomon & Afterhrs

Nov. 12, 2024

Twenty-five years after its original, limited release, a sneaker unicorn is returning. Nike and the Wu-Tang Clan have teamed up to re-release one of the most treasured sneaker collaborations of all time: the Nike x Wu-Tang Clan Dunk. To commemorate it, a new campaign Directed and Creative Directed by Ben Solomon in collaboration with Sr. Global Creative Director Nike energy Kimou Meyer and produced by afterhrs., pays homage to the iconic and enduring cultural imprint of both Wu-Tang Clan and Nike and the unexpected reunion that has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.

Born from the streets of Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, the Wu-Tang Clan emerged in the early 1990s not only as a hip-hop group but as a cultural phenomenon. Their unique blend of gritty lyricism, kung-fu references and innovative production created a powerful sonic tapestry that transcended the genre, reaching far beyond music to influence fashion, film and art. That influence resonates today, both in the hip-hop and basketball mecca of New York and in communities across the world that continue to draw inspiration from the Wu-Tang Clan and their collaborators

All of that comes into play with the layered and multi-pronged campaign for the Dunk High (featuring Killa Beez color blocking and the Wu-Tang logo), which was designed with pure delight and a bounty of easter eggs that reverberates to the buzz of hundreds of thousands of bees. Among the many curated and crafted elements: a faux movie release poster, an custom designed ice cream truck (that appears in the films and rolled up at Madison Square Garden to deliver soft serve and tee shirts, digital billboards at MSG, a custom Nike bee suit designed by Grimes’ editorial stylist, and two branded films, “Ice C.R.E.A.M.” and “The Hive,” featuring Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges (AKA The Nova Knicks), narrated by Raekwon, and featuring Wu-Tang Clan founder The RZA.

At the center of the campaign is the branded film “The Hive,” for which Solomon and afterhrs. enlisted not only the help of VFX Luminaries Carbon, but of New York City’s most Legendary Apiary Andrew Cote who, along with his team, brought in six beehives, constituting nearly a million live bees.

For Creative Director/Director Solomon and afterhrs. EP Thelonious Brooks, the campaign is creative wildfire born out of growing up in New York when the vibrancy of the city was steeped in hip-hop, basketball, streetwear and graffiti. It where play and imagination, memory sense and current zeitgeist converge. 

Solomon shared:

“For me as an artist and for so many of my generation, especially as a child in the 90s in NY, there’s no brand as significant impactful as Nike and no musical group as significant as Wu-Tang. To be able to bring my creative vision and twist to two entities that have inspired and define the look, sound, and feel of what I aspire to create was a dream opportunity. The goal was turning that golden era into the present day without being a throwback. Yes, there was a significant moment in which they took over but the reign has remained a permanent force. There was, and still is, artistry, originality, and cinema that are unprecedented – and the goal was to bring in some of these foundational details back into play with this collaboration. Having a Knicks team that the New Yorkers and the world also connects with the magic of then and relevance now. It’s a triptych brought into the full spectrum that is Nike: culture, sport, and – of course – the shoe itself. With the total support of and collaboration with the team at Nike we have made something really special.”

 

Brooks said:

“Showing up for these brands and creating this campaign meant getting to interact with some of the most treasured lore from our creative upbringing, and was almost like getting to put a jenga brick on top of that foundation. So every little detail had to be credible, and have some kind of meaning. This isn't just the music or the history at the garden, but also 40 years of communiques from Nike which this fan base took to heart and hung on to and cataloged,”

 

Brooks continued:

“It’s hard to think of another director who would have been ready to reference every detail in these three universes as encyclopedically. But instead of making this a serious thing, Ben did such a great job of keeping this fun, accessible and interesting, which is ultimately how it needs to feel for fans and sneakerheads. I couldn’t imagine a better outcome, and the reaction we’re seeing already is a credit to his and Kimou’s work. It’s so rare that you can really feel that everyone is actually pulling in the same direction. That is something that has to be traceable from the crewmembers adding texture to little details up to the CMO of Nike. We were completely supported in that way, for which we also have to look to John’s (Radaza, Nike Global Marketing Director) immense talent and ability to keep the whole circus in line.”

 

The final film “The Hive” launched on November 9th – the day the legendary shoe was made available to those who have dreamed of this moment.