Cedric Dormaine Hill — better known by his stage name Everyday Street Gangsta, or E.S.G. for short — was labeled one of the original freestyle kings because of his ability to improvise about anything and everything. His fluid lyrics have earned him the respect of some of the greatest lyricists in the rap industry.
He was one of the original members of DJ Screw’s “Screwed Up Click,” whose other members include Lil Keke, Lil Flip, Big Moe and Fat Pat.
E.S.G. has participated in the bi-annual H-Town Sneaker Summit the last two times the event has been held and will be there again on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, at his usual booth on Celebrity Row. He said the event is popular among sneakerheads looking to buy shoes and exclusive gear and hoping to meet celebrity artists.
E.S.G. estimated he has about 300 sneakers in his collection. “Unlike most, I pass shoes on to nephews, homies or anyone in need,” he added.
Of all the kicks in his collection, however, he is partial to Jordan’s “just ’cause of the variety of styles.”
“I fell in love with Air Jordan 1s in the seventh grade. There was just something about ’em. They were the first-ever Jordans ever released. Right now, my favorite sneakers in my collection are my [Son of] Mars Spike Lee exclusive Jordans, my 95 Air Max, one of the first-ever Filas, my whole collection of classic Pumas, and my $400 limited-edition Air Force 1s,” he said. “And I only keep the boxes for my limited-edition shoes. The rest gotta go.”
When asked how can Black people financially benefit from the success of sneaker culture and the profitability of the sneaker industry, E.S.G. said he would support the creation of more Black-owned major sneaker companies.
“I think we need to deal more directly with the big sneaker companies instead of settling for a piece of a piece of the pie,” he added.
—rocky rockett
