Today we over at 23Penny get a chance to really get to know a good friend of ours, Dom, also known as @AlreadyGotEm on Twitter and Million Dollar Stacks on NikeTalk; giving us his perspective on this newly changed sneaker culture, his take on limited releases, talking about some of his favorite kicks, and also just about life in general.
23Penny: Dom, can you tell us what and when did you really get into sneakers heavily? What was your first pair of sneakers?
Alreadygotem: I‘d have to say back in 2003, I was in 10th grade, someone left instyelshoes.com up on a computer in the computer lab. I browsed the shoe selection and eventually went to the forums where I learned about Niketalk. ISS and Niketalk had beef for some reason (lol) that’s when I decided to sign up under my first name on Niketalk as Domski Nike Dunk. I was eventually banned multiple times for trolling that’s why my NT name is currently MILLION DOLLAR STACKS. To get back on track, once I found out about the passion, culture, the different themes behind shoes and how it was looked down upon (at the time) I felt it was perfect for me, seeing the WDYWT posts in general it has drawn me in immediately. I had to hustle to get shoes at the time, I didn’t have a job, but my first pair of shoes after I started from my own money was some black/grey/gum bottom Nike Dunk lows. I know everyone has to remember those, hence my NT name Domski Nike Dunk, I was never really on Jordans heavily until later on.
23Penny: Tell us how did you get the Twitter @AlreadyGotEm.
Alreadygotem: I’ve had multiple twitter names, this really stuck with me when I got to Japan. I copped the Playoff XIIIs way before release, had everyone jelly. This was a little before everyone else was copping early on twitter. Shout out to @Deftronic, @Ineedkicks, and @Fresh23air. After that release I was pretty much known for having everything early due to being out here in Japan. If it wasn’t here in Japan I had others look out for me.
23Penny: How many pairs of kicks do you currently own?
Alreadygotem: Currently? (Sad face) Well as you know I’m done, its no longer fun to me, so yeah, everyone might say you can never stop buying shoes, and they are right. I’ve slowed down a lot. As I look in my closet… I can say I’m down to about 40+ good ones. At my pinnacle I can say I’ve had over 150+.
23Penny: What are your top 5 shoes of all times?
Alreadygotem: I may sound like a hypebeast as everyone is nowadays, during this interview I really don’t have a top 5 picked out so I’m going to pick out some of my favorites. In no particular order, Carmine VIs, Doernbecher IIIs, South Beach VIIIs, Playoff XIIs, last but not least Black/Pink Yeezy Is. No Tokyo Vs are not in my top 5. I should have had some OG’s in there too right? Oh well.
23Penny: Being overseas in Japan, do you feel like it’s easier to get shoes or is it harder? And how so?
Alreadygotem: It’s harder to get shoes man, I’m in the Military we don’t care about our money as long as we look fly we can manage. (lol jk) Seriously it is more difficult out here, the Yen rate is killing pockets right now, Obama needs to step it up, and our Dollar isn’t worth anything out here. The only reason I got kicks like I did is connects, others were looking out heavily, either because I did them favors or sold them something for the low, which I think I’m very good at. If I was in mainland Japan, it would be a lot easier, but I got the short end of the stick, Okinawa sucks for kicks. I have to get everything shipped to me, occasionally the Nike store here will get the general releases, and I’ll take that over nothing.
23Penny: What’s your take on these overhyped, over-exploited releases such as the Concord XI, All-Star and Yeezy 2 releases? Did you managed to cop some of the shoes during that release? Do you think it’s Nike’s fault for driving up the hype? Or is it perfect normal?
Alreadygotem: This is part of the reason I’m out of the “game”. It’s a part time job to be able to buy some shoes that you genuinely like. I’m not bashing resellers at all get that money, what I don’t like are what we call “new dudes”. Of course I was new at some point, but the majority of these cats just buy what everyone else likes, rock them once and then they sell them. Also called the rental beast by my dude Chris Suell, but yeah Nike is to blame I guess, but that’s what they do WE buy their shoes. No one is telling us to spend our hard earned cash on some $245 dollar shoes, are they? Hype is what makes it fun I guess you could say; the work that has to be put into buying the shoes is not. If there was no hype around most of these releases we wouldn’t have this problem that we have now, I don’t know man, it depends on how you see the current state of the game. If you have your connects on lock it could be all good. If you out here in Japan like me, you would probably look at it the same way I do. Depending on other people sucks, point blank. It’s so much shadiness, and greed going on right now bruh. I’m telling you I was never done dirty as many times I was in 2011-12 on releases. I copped Concords, I sold one pair though they are overrated, I have a DS pair just sitting here. The ASG Lebron 9’s were copped too, along with the Mint Flight 1’s, for retail. The only reason I was able to cop those two at retail was because of two stand up dudes, one I’ve been dealing with ever since I’ve been here in Japan, the other was a former Marine so of course he was going to look out for me. Now for the Yeezy 2, I didn’t really care man, I asked a couple of people to look out but they hype was too immense. I would like a Solar Red Pair though, size 10.5.
23Penny: How do you feel about a lot of new dudes coming into the “game”? What do you think they should know about this sneaker culture before they really submerge into it?
Alreadygotem: I don’t like it at all. You know who is to blame though bruh? Wale. Everyone is a follower now, once he came out rocking shoes that you didn’t usually see on TV, blogs, etc. Hype was crazy man. I respect dude though, met him in DC before he got the deal. Lol, nah I don’t really blame Wale, I don’t look that deep into man. Some would say new cats should learn the history back in the 80’s fat laces being fly etc…nah no one cares about that my dude. We care about limited releases, not many people will have these shoes, you know? Now I know most of these new dudes never seen Jordan play, that argument is there also, I find that funny. If they got the money they are going to buy shoes, it doesn’t matter if they watched whoever play. If they like a shoe and it’s hot it’s going to be purchased.
23Penny: Do you feel that Facebook and Twitter have really changed the culture? For the better or for the worse?
Alreadygotem: Definitely for the worse. I say that because having shoes when I was coming up was bad. Coming to school everyday for weeks with a different pair brought me a lot of negative attention, but soon it turned from negative to positive attention: “Man you buy shoes like a female.” I’m sure we’ve heard that before. I used to love putting on some kicks that no one else had to go stunting in the mall or wherever. People had no clue what I had on, or asked me how can they get them. Now, not so much. Everywhere you look someone has on some you have. It’s like dudes can’t think for themselves, Facebook and Twitter has drastically added hype to the game by far, Instagram too, I mean we post up our kicks and what we wore dudes are bound to bite.
23Penny: With Jordan Brand re-retro’ing everything, do you see them being around for quite a while? Or do you see them fading away soon?
Alreadygotem: These young kids will keep retro’s alive.
23Penny: During our chats over the Internet at times, you always talk about retiring; do you think it’s truly possible to retire?
Alreadygotem: No, its not possible, I’ve tried it many times, in 2007 I didn’t really buy shoes like I did in 09-12. I always say I quit, its just called slowing down that’s all. I really don’t need a lot of shoes dropping this year, the added hype is turning me away, plus I already have the earlier retros.
23Penny: Do you have any other hobbies besides collecting shoes? Tell us about that.
Alreadygotem: Yes, I have a 4 month old little girl, that’s a hobby in itself, smh lol. I play video games, but now that I’m 24 it’s getting old too, just like shoes. I might just end up being a boring old man.
23Penny: Your next sneaker purchase is ___________.
Alreadygotem: Hard to tell at the moment, MAYBE Olympic 6’s.
23Penny: The Last shoe you regretted purchasing was ____________.
Alreadygotem: None, I purchase that fire you know that!
Follow Dom on Twitter at @AlreadyGotEm and Instagram at @alreadyg0tem
Great interview Z!!