story

Jarren S.
@jarrensmall
CEO & Co-Founder of Reading With a Rapper
Houston, TX

"We teach kids how to read and write through rap lyrics, content technology. And right now we in the reading and rapping classroom at Filman Middle..."

"...School in Houston, Texas. My involvement with the sneaker community here in Houston, Texas was creating an actual platform, called 'Sneaker Senses', that allows black and brown boutique stores to analyze data to better serve the community throughout the year. These are the Air Flex..."

"...Trainers. These shoes are probably one of the most symbolic shoes to me because we had Hurricane Harvey here in Houston and these are actually shoes I had on when we were going through the hurricane. And I never put them down since. So they..."

"...are dear to me because they're really durable and comfortable. And I feel like that was something that really had to get through with the hurricane. You had to be very patient and be really on your toes a lot. We were always on our feet, moving around. And these have a lot of just battle scars and wounds on them if you see them..."

"...but I still wear them today. And I just feel like they always remember the strengths they hold when I was going through Hurricane Harvey. All right. These are the 2016 'Banned Bred Toe' 1's. These are one of my favorite..."

"...pair of shoes because these are literally my first pair of 1's. I felt like me playing basketball, getting these shoes, I had a little bit of Jordan essences in my game. So I always feel empowered when I wear these shoes. These are the 'Travis Scott' 1's. When they came out with..."

"...these shoes, I wanted to get these because it represented where I was from. And to see somebody that grew up in my area to be able to be creative and be imaginative with their dreams, to bring it to full force, to impact other people was really impactful for me. These are the, 'Quarantine..."

"...2020 Kaminski Art Nike By You Air Maxes'. So the story behind these shoes are a local art teacher named, 'Kaminski Art' in Houston, Texas actually designed these shoes. And she created a story through the shoe. So on the back of the shoe..."

"...it literally has, 'Quarantine 2020'. So it symbolizes a time in history where we were all at home, trying to figure out what was going on. People went crazy and bought them all over the city. So it's just a representation that even though that we are looking at teaching the educational system, if we support them the right way..."

"...and allow them to be creative, it can empower them to empower the masses like they do every day with students. These are the 'A Ma Maniére' 3's Not only are these unique, I..."

"...think these probably are one of the hottest pair shoes that came out this year. But what they represent and with James Whitner doing in the space, being an African American creating his own shoes, partnering with Nike and Jordan is really cool. So last summer, Nike made a promise to the black community that..."

"...they would make an actual impact. Within that promise, they chose us here in Houston to do that. With legends who live being here almost 10 years, it's really cool to see that companies are really seeing the work that we do and want to be a part of that and make an..."

"...impact on a local level for a global impact. Thanks for watching. I'm Jarren Small, and this is What I Got. And remember, always bring culture to the classroom."


Reading with a Rapper, an initiative of Legends Do Live, is a recipient of an FY21 Black Community Commitment grant.

What You Got

74 - Jarren S