“One of the commandments of the Gravy Train is to always stay fresh,” Yung Gravy tells HollywoodLife when discussing his new partnership with Foot Locker. “Fresh” is one of the aspects of the brand’s Holiday 2022 campaign, featuring the Foot Locker Holiday House Party. Gravy – who joined fellow musicians Bia and Lunay, along with personalities like Ralph Romeo and Tamara Dhia, for this bashed – lent his naturally cool to the chilly campaign to help his followers adhere to that commandment. “Foot Locker helps achieve that [freshness], along with another pillar of my philosophy, which is flexing,” he adds.
Flexing and freshness are what Yung Gravy has been about this year. He scored his highest charting single to date — “Betty (Get Money),” off his 2022 album, Marvelous – adding another Gold certification to his growing list of accomplishments. He continues to grow his Gravy Train online – 7 million followers on TikTok, 2.1 on Instagram – while never losing sight of himself. Such dedication to forging one’s path is why Foot Locker enlisted Yung Gravy for the campaign…even if he’s the first to admit he wasn’t a natural-born sneakerhead.
“I didn’t really get shoes for Christmas growing up, I used to do competitive trick skiing, so I usually got ski gear instead,” says the Minnesota native (who also holds Swiss citizenship, courtesy of his father.) Though Gravy grew up with black diamonds and toques, he eventually found his way. “I didn’t get into the shoe game until after my days of youth concluded but back in the day,” he tells HL. “I had a nice collection of Lakais and Supras, which were popular at the time.”
To those who see shoes more for their functionality than their form, it’s hard to see them as something to collect. “I didn’t get sneakerhead culture at first either,” says Gravy. “It’s one of those obsessions that builds over time and gets stronger with each new addition. It feels great to look at your full collection and pick out a pair of shoes that’s going to fit your day. It’s also an investment in yourself because shoes retain their value if you treat them right.”
So, for those looking to jump feet-first into the sneakerhead scene, this season would be the ideal time. And the Foot Locker Holiday House Party campaign is there to help. “The Foot Locker Holiday Party puts all office parties to shame,” Gravy shares about the experience. “It was a big, festive house party with more shoes. I haven’t been to a party like that in a minute, so it brought me back to my pre-rapper mentality.”
“My first memory of Foot Locker is at the Apache Mall in Rochester, Minnesota, baby,” he shares with his trademark swagger. “In middle school, we used to bike there daily to hang around, win free Taco Bell, and do other random activities. My buddy worked at the Foot Locker store, so we had a mandatory stop there each time.”
There are worst ways to spend the holiday season than with new shoes from Foot Locker and a Mexican Pizza meal. For those who might not think that’s exactly the spirit of these last few weeks of 2022, Gravy has your back, like a 6’7″ tall Santa Claus.
“I’ve made two Christmas songs that I’d recommend,” Gravy tells HL when asked for some recommendations for a 2022 Holiday Playlist. “‘Flex on Christmas’ and ‘Bought The Plug a Present.’ Both of those slap and I’d recommend ‘Gravy for Pope‘ and ‘Magic‘ too which have some nice holiday vibes to them.”
The Gravy Train will have those on repeat when Foot Locker launches the Foot Locker Holiday House Party global campaign on Dec. 16. Kicking off in Asia, the celebration will travel the globe over 24 hours, hitting stores in Seoul, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles.
After that, Foot Locker will celebrate with its customers all season long with planned in-store celebrations and giveback moments at its stores globally. For more information, visit www.footlocker.com.