If you're a fan of YouTube's racTV or a follower of @racstagram, you know of the dope items that Rac have been dropping. I caught up with the man himself on the release of his new product the "J Watch" to get a little insight on how he got into creating these products and where he gets his inspiration.
Introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello readers! My name is Anthony Racaniello, but most just call me Rac. I am the owner of racPOP and the man behind racTV on YouTube. Major sneaker enthusiast, creative professional, and general man-child.
1. How and/or when did you become a sneaker fiend?
I became a sneaker fiend as kid, watching Jordan, loving basketball- to me the kicks were an extension of the game. So since Basketball was everything to me, I loved them. As an adult it's the only part of the game that doesn't make my knees sore, so I love it even more!
2. What brand(s) are you into?
In terms of sneaker brands I try and be as open minded as possible- I wear a ton of different stuff from Jordan to Keds! I believe in “wear what you like” and while I may have a bit of a Nike preference my collection is very diverse and I will wear anything that catches my eye.
3. What sneaker is in your top five regular rotation?
Right now I’d say the Anniversary Jordan 3, Aqua Jordan 8, “Knicks” Jordan 13 Low, “West Coast” Lebron 3, and Kobe 8 “Easter.”
4. How did you get into making the sneaker related items?
Its the same old story, right? I am a creative dude, always loved that kind of stuff and always loved sneakers… when I went to look for products only to find they didn't exist I set out to make them a reality.
At first for myself and soon after for every one else too.
5. What's your process when coming up with an idea?
Its just like back when this whole thing started, it usually begins with me really wanting something, forcing it into reality and then asking my following if its something they would like too- if it is, I start making phone calls to make a release happen.
6. Have you ever came up with an idea that you wanted to keep all to yourself?
The JWatch we just put out, today, was something I definitely wasn't sure I wanted to share, lol. They were expensive to make, I damn near lose money selling them, but in the end it has been worth it to put such a unique product out to the community and watch them get so excited about it.
7. Where do you see racPop 5yrs from now?
Hopefully not much different than it is now, right now its me, and that makes it intimate. My favorite thing about my brand is that it lets me interact with so many like minded people, I'd hate to grow to a point where it became too much for me and I'd lose that experience.
8. Do you have any celebrity clients?
I do have some yes. In fact I just finished a custom racPOP order for NFL superstar Darrell Revis! Very cool guy, cool of him to support, pillow came out awesome!
9. For the people that would like to follow you personally, are you on any social media?
I am all over the place! Probably most active on YoTtube at Youtube.com/WatchRacTV, Instagram @racstagram, and twitter @racattacktweets! I'd love to chop it up with the readers, get at me!
Parting words for our readers.....
Really want to say thank you for taking the time to check out racTV and racpop.com. Like I mentioned, I am my brand so whenever you do it's you connecting with me and that's the best part about being a part of something like the sneaker community. I hope you readers get in touch, and wish your blog all the luck in the world, I'll be reading!
