Why Ghostface Killah calls himself the “Wallabee Champ”
Chances are, if you take a quick walk around London in 2025, you’ll come across some Clarks Wallabees. They’re one of the biggest shoes this summer through their versatility and clean design, with connections deeply rooted in hip-hop and Jamaican culture. Ghostface Killah has proudly taken on the crown of “Wallabee Champ” for this reason.
Clarks have collaborated with everyone from Wu-Tang Clan and Nas to brands like Supreme, Stussy, and BAPE over the years. Ghostface went ahead and claimed the title of the biggest Wallabee-head in 2008 with his compilation album, The Wallabee Champ. The project included a title track, using the Just Blaze beat for Jay-Z’s ‘Girls Girls Girls‘, where he also dubbed himself the “Wallabee Kingpin.”
In the intro, he says, “One two, one two, one two, America/ It’s ya boy Toney Starks/ The Wallabee kingpin/ You know, I’d like to just shout out to good beats like this/ You know what I mean? I wish I woulda had this a long time ago/ I woulda demo’d this, y’all/ Check it out.”
Ghostface is extremely passionate about the shoes. His preference is a brightly coloured suede pair with a gummy sole. “I’m a colourful dude, so I like yellows and reds and stuff like that,” he told Vulture. “When it comes to Clarks, you gotta have a crispy pair, an all-suede crispy pair. You can’t really, really, really go wrong, just as long as the sole is gummy. A gummy sole. Don’t give me a black sole.
“You can’t go wrong with a colour with Clarks because whatever you got on, when you put them on, they look funky on you. Especially the new ones now. The old ones was made in Taiwan and China. They didn’t fit right. That’s why I stopped playing with them for a minute.”
He’s been wearing the shoes for so long that he’s recognised different editions, comparing the current feel to Kanye West’s Yeezys. These days, red and blue are some of his go-to colours, and he always keeps away from brown. To him, it just doesn’t suit his style.
“It’s a dark blue, a nice navy blue, or a nice red,” he revealed. “A watermelon or a Chevy red might stand out. It depends on what’s your colour, and what stands out on you. I know blue stands out on me. Red stands out. But I don’t wear brown. When I throw on brown clothes, something always happens. I don’t care if it’s a Cleveland Browns T-shirt, something is bound to happen.
“I don’t even feel right wearing brown, I’d rather skip to black. If I did a video with brown on, I didn’t even look right. Every time I wear brown, I always get into a fight. I broke my ankles in brown Wallabees. It’s too many things that be showing me, ‘You know what? That’s not me.’ So I leave it alone.”
Ghostface has rapped about Wallabees on other songs, including 2006’s ‘Outta Town Shit’. In the first verse, he raps, “Outdoors my n*ggas is dirty/ Rollin’ smoke in the back seat sippin’ orange juice/ Bumping Blackstreet, suede wallets, Wallabees/ Pea soup Clarks, music blastin’, laughin’ with the whip in park.” The shoes might be one of the hottest streetwear items right now, but Ghostface did it first.