Reviewing the Most-Viewed Sneaker Videos on YouTube

A guide to the most-watched videos.

Sneaker YouTube
Complex Original
Sneaker YouTube

From unboxings, to restorations, to shopping trips, sneakerheads have fully embraced YouTube as medium to share their love of sneakers. We looked at the hard views numbers to determine the top 10 videos when searching “sneakers”  on the video service and reviewed the top 10 results below. (For the sake of avoiding repetition, we only included single episodes of franchises like “Sneaker Shopping” and “Sneak Peek.”) As you’ll see, the most watched videos don’t necessarily coincide with the best, but it does lead to some very interesting results.

10. The Complete Guide To Crocheting Sneakers (in Spanish)

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Title: Tutorial Zapatillas Bebé Crochet o Ganchillo Sneakers

Views: 3 Million 

What is it? A Spanish-spoken guide to crocheting your own “sneakers.”

Worth watching for
sneakerheads? Clocking in at over 18 minutes, mostly of close-up crocheting, this video is boring to say the least. But if you speak Spanish and want to crochet booties for your kids, it may have some redeeming value.

9. Every Sneaker Has A Price

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Title: The 10 Most Expensive Sneakers Ever Made

Views: 3.4 Million

What is it? An inaccurate list of the 10 most expensive sneakers ever made, put together by people who know nothing about sneakers.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? The list kicks off with a graphic for the “Eminem” Air Jordan 2s, only to be followed by an image of a ridiculous looking bootleg pair of Air Jordan 7s covered in a “The Way I Am” graphic. There are plenty more laughs to be had including (spoiler alert) the inaccurate image for the inaccurate most expensive shoe on the list.

8. A Very Swaggy Closet

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Title: Nick Young's Shoe Collection - A "Sneak Peek" In Swaggy P's Sneaker Closet

Views: 3.7 Million

What is it? A tour of Swaggy P’s sneaker collection, led by George Kiel.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? A lot has changed since this video was shot back in 2013. Pyrex became Off White. D’Angelo Russell graduated high school. And Nick Young made the jump from Nike to adidas. Still, it offers a chance to see one of basketball’s biggest sneakerheads, at the height of his sneaker popularity, show off an impressive collection.

7. The Price is Right

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Name: Can Women Guess Which Sneaker Is More Expensive?

Views: 3.9 Million

What is it? Women guess which pair of men’s sneakers, with their logos covered, are more expensive.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? It’s always interesting to hear opinions on sneakers from people without any type of bias. The guesses aren’t particularly interesting, but the hot takes on sneakers like the Kobe 7, New Balance 574, and Air Jordan 28 make it worth watching.

6. '90s Underground

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Title: Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground - Official Video [HD]

Views: 4 Million 

What is it? The music video for a song you’ve probably been annoyed by in the past and never realized had any sneaker association.

Worth watching for
sneakerheads? The Sneaker Pimps, not to be confused with the traveling sneaker show/concert of the same name, are a band that’s been recording electronica since long before EDM inexplicably became cool. The video and music may have nothing to do with sneakers, but their name actually was derived from the term coined by a Beastie Boys' Grand Royal article. Unfortunately that fact doesn’t help this song be listenable or the video any watchable.

5. Too Hyphy

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Title: The Pack – Vans

Views: 4.4 Million

What is it? A hyphy ode to Vans.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? If you thought the song accompanying the Sneaker Pimps video was bad, you haven’t heard anything yet. Long before Lil B cost the OKC Thunder multiple NBA titles, he helped lead a rap group known as The Pack. Their one and only hit “Vans” was a tribute to their preferred footwear. We’ve seen many examples of bad sneaker songs throughout the years, but this hyphy version might be the worst.

4. Shopping for Sneakers

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Title: Chris Brown Goes Sneaker Shopping With Complex

Views: 4.5 Million

What is it? C. Breezy and Joe La Puma hit New York’s Extra Butter.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? The most interesting element of Complex’s “Sneaker Shopping” series is getting to see varied personalities cop sneakers they actually like, rather than succumbing to the hype. We’ve seen plenty of celebs wearing Yeezys, but watching Chris Brown cop Star Wars Vans and tan Roshes with his own money is far more intriguing. It may not be the best episode in the series, but it’s worth watching to hit the related videos in the sidebar.

3. Sneakerz for the Kool Kidz

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Title: Baby Kaely "New Sneakers" 6 yR OLD KID RAPPER another vid for the kool kidz :)

Views: 6 Million

What is it? As indicated by the title, a 6 yR OLD raps a song about sneakers. For the kool kidz :)

Worth watching for sneakerheads? Baby Kaely has one of those names with a built-in expiration date, kind of like Lil Bow Wow. It’s just a matter of time until she becomes known solely as Kaely. In her 2011 hit, “New Sneakers” she raps about the struggle of needing a fresh pair of kicks after getting them dirty. The lyrics are basically what you’d expect from a 6-year-old, which is to say, far better than those of The Pack.

2. How Not To Customize Your Sneakers

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Title: DIY Clothes! 3 DIY Shoes Projects (DIY Sneakers, Boots, Fashion & More). Amazing!

Views: 6.4 Million

What is it? A D.I.Y. guide to sneaker customization—for the scrapbooking crowd.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? You know how sometimes you see custom sneakers so good that you aren’t sure if they might have actually come out? Other times there are custom sneakers you know are customs because they look like a 10-year-old who’s failing art class painted on them? This video features a tutorial to the latter.

1. Never Skechers

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Title: Girlfriend in Underwear & Sneakers??

Views: 6.8 Million

What is it? A woman catches her boyfriend filming her wearing nothing but underwear and sneakers.

Worth watching for sneakerheads? If you’re willing to get past the bad acting, you’ll find definitive proof that not even a woman in her underwear can make Skechers look acceptable.