2009: J4K on ARTE TV, in France & Germany

A pop culture documentary about sneakers and hip-hop on France/German distinguished top cultural channel? For real? Yes sir! Grand Master Caz & JDL, along with Fab5 Fredy and Bonz Malone, our official street cat, made it to the forefront of European culture and television! So is Arte going underground or is sneaker culture popping up to the point it is now mainstream?

Probably a bit of both if you ask us. When it was originally broadcasted in France on Canal Plus (the European equivalent of HBO in the US) J4K became and remained the top documentary audience for over two years. It raised eyebrows in France’s conservative cultural circles, yet made sneaker culture available to all. Today, we’re talking about a serious move for ARTE, to recognize what was once a jewel of street-culture-only, as a piece of legitimate culture.

J4K was first shown on ARTE late 2009 and has now found a home there for the next few years. Check out ARTE’s programming on www.arte.tv for upcoming show dates/times.