Complex Conversations Launches With the Sneaker of the Year Debate

Watch a group including Wale and DJ Clark Kent debate the Sneaker of the Year for 2016 at ComplexCon.

One of the highlights of the first-ever, first of its kind ComplexCon back in November were the Complex Conversations. These were a series of panels where we put tastemakers and influencers in a room to talk about the things you care about the most. Everything from music to education to marijuana policy to—of course—sneakers. Every year, we debate on the coveted Sneaker of the Year title, and this year was no different. But instead of just your usual list, we got the most relevant voices in the sneaker game to gather at ComplexCon to fight it out IRL—all while the cameras were rolling.

The panel, moderated by Complex VP of Content Strategy (and host of Sneaker Shopping) Joe La Puma, consisted of eponymous brand owner Jon Buscemi, reseller to the stars Benjamin Kickz, the always impassioned Wale, and Quickstrike co-hosts DJ Clark Kent and Russ Bengtson. In the end, a diverse bunch of people made some tough decisions and came to a conclusion. Or did they? On the way, many wider topics on sneakers were touched on, with some input from the packed house.  

This is only the first of 16 episodes covering ALL the Complex Conversations you might have missed at our inaugural event. Stay tuned in the New Year as we release more intense and informative discussions––while we gear up for the save the date announcement for when and where ComplexCon 2017 takes place. Stay tuned for that, subscribe to Go90 to catch more Complex Conversations, but for now, check out the clip above and debate with your crew about the Best Sneaker of 2016.