Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has been all about creating a brand based on his image since Hard Knock Life catapulted him into the mainstream pysche back in 1998. Of course, a lot of us saw the immense talent in Jay as an artist since Reasonable Doubt days (a couple years before in 1996), but none of us could’ve forseen the Jay-Z brand becoming such a massive entity in its own right. Didn’t he tell us a few years ago though? We’d all be wearing his favorite hue, Jay-Z Blue. Figuratively speaking, we sort of are, although the signature color has been modified to “all black everything.”

Jay is on a cross branding mission involving himself, Nike and E-Bay. The athletic shoe company has joined design forces with the rapper just in time for the Summer Inaugural World Basketball Festival in New York City. There are five countries participating in the festival ending on August 22nd: USA, Puerto Rico, France, China and Brazil. Each nation has their own customized pair of Air Force Ones, all entirely in black (of course). The sneakers are super limited, only one of each pair are going to be sold to the highest E-Bay bidder. The auction is set to end on the last day of the festival and at presstime, each pair ranged from $1650 to $2850, and rising. The proceeds from their sale will be going to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. Hit E-Bay and put your bid in if you’ve got a few thousand to drop on exclusives. –N. Graham