Took a while for the get back to come, but eventually it did. Wayyyy back in the day, when I was the lil tag along, my fashion-forward cousins would inadvertently rub it in.

Their closets were always laced with the new and next gear. Air Jordans, Overlaps, Quarterfield coats, Mock Necks, Playboys and the like, all were in their style inventory and kept pace with that first wave of what is now known as hip-hop culture. Although I knew what fresh looked like, I had to settle for the versions sold at Alexander’s department store. When I became old enough to compete with them on the “fresh” level, it’s been on ever since.

Fast-forward to the 2015 winter holiday season. We hadn’t assembled in a minute, and I had a beast to unleash. I pull up in the yard and e’erybody there. Showtime! The tilted tan Yankee fitted with the black NY was atypical of a proud New Yorker, so they knew that was coming, but when the doors of the whip swung open and the soles hit the ground, a collective “ooohhhhhh” was in the air.

“Yo, where you cop those?” I got asked. With that question, I knew. Game over. Got ‘em! The “those” in question, were the shoes. Not something worn on a basketball or tennis court, but a shoe, the Britishers, or as the streets referenced them, British Walkers.

As the foundation of hip-hop was being laid, Technics (turntables), Gemini (mixers) and Britishers are a few of the brands that are embedded in its DNA. After an extended hiatus, the Britisher is again positioning itself to again be a force in the fashion industry, and it’s starting again with an alliance with hip-hop.

Spanning emcees from the Cold Crush Brothers to Nas, the brand was paid homage lyrically, and last fall, the Lakeview Apparel Group re-launched and updated the name and style of the original shoes to “B. Walker.” J.D. Stewart, design director for the LAG was assigned the task of re-situating and updating the style while maintaining the original components that the streets embraced.

“There was once a time in the beginning of hip-hop when going to parties or an event meant dressing up,” said Stewart. “Even if you were just standing on the corner, you wanted to look right. The Britisher, this casual shoe, looked like money with whatever was worn with it. We are now in a sneaker world in which the youth don’t understand or respect power that dressing up commands, even on a casual level. We think but we have the answer with what we call the three C’s: classic, comfort, cool in one shoe.” Gummy bottoms, tassels, lace ups, two-tone colors and almost every flavor imaginable were characteristics most associated with the classic original shoe. Steward offered the following updates, “We created a sneaker shoe that bridges that gap between classic and the new. We introduced the Sprinter sneaker flap, Mark 1, BX19 and the Boss boot. These styles combine both new design with the classic crepe bottom outer sole.”

Last December, the B. Walker brand relaunched the Britisher Collection. In an act of solidarity with hip-hop culture, the company worked in conjunction with one of the original hip- hop style icons, Big Daddy Kane, in creating a limited edition Big Daddy Kane shoe. Almost a year to the day, this week, the brand makes more big moves. “We’re dropping an exclusive theme song with an artist named Jae Focus, and it features Styles P of the LOX” Steward said. “And we’ll be dropping the first women’s Ladies B’s wedges, complete with crepe bottom soles. You’ll see the B.Walker brand featured in a few upcoming series produced by HBO airing in 2016. More celebrity collaborations and the BDK spring limited edition will soon drop. The brand is more than shoes; it’s premium street luxury for our culture. Check us out at bwalkershoes.com.”

Over and out. Holla next week. Until then, enjoy the nightlife.