Bobbito Garcia

NYC native Bobbito García is a freelance creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements. During the 1990s, the legendary air personality was one-half of the "Stretch and Bobbito" program on WKCR. The duo introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang, as well as an unknown Jay-Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their platform exceed 300 million. In 1998, the Source Magazine voted them as "The Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time." As the progenitor of sneaker journalism, García penned his landmark Source article "Confessions of a Sneaker Addict" in 1990, then in 2003 became the critically acclaimed author of Where'd You Get Those? NYC's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 (Testify Books). In 2005, ESPN's "It's The Shoes" series, hosted by Bobbito, became the first show on the subject in broadcasting history. A former professional basketball player in Puerto Rico, García performed in the groundbreaking Nike "Freestyle" commercial. In 2007, the brand released seven co-designed Air Force 1 sneakers bearing his name. The voice of EA Sports' popular NBA Street video game is also a world-renowned DJ, who has spun World, Soul and Jazz music at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, and the Smithsonian (DC). As an award-winning filmmaker, García has directed Doin' It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC (PBS, Netflix), Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (Showtime, Netflix), and NY Times "Critics' Pick" Rock Rubber 45s (Smithsonian African American Film Festival 2018 official selection). Transitioning to TV, he also directed eight "SneakerCenter" episodes for ESPN+. A founding member of the Kennedy Center's Hip Hop Culture Council and a recent Wesleyan University "Distinguished Alumni Award" recipient, "Kool Bob Love" currently produces his b-ball tournament Full Court 21(TM) in four continents, co-produces music for the Stretch and Bobbito + The M19s Band on 10x Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri's label Uprising, co-hosts "Stretch and Bobbito Radio" on Apple Music Hits, and creates virtual sneaker/cassette art available as NFTs.