PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — New Balance and Portland-raised rapper Aminé will soon release a shoe inspired by his alma mater, Benson Polytechnic High School.

The artist unveiled his latest collaboration with the footwear brand on Tuesday. The “BTEE740” features New Balance’s iconic 740 shoe, but in a blue and orange colorway paying homage to the local school.

The shoe box also nods to Benson High’s radio program, with a silver laptop-inspired design and several stickers — one of which reads “KBPS 1450 AM ON AIR.”

In an Instagram post , Aminé explained the program is where he developed a passion for creating music.

“My teacher Mr. Naganuma was the coolest man out and would let me and my friend use the radio equipment to record freestyles after school,” Aminé said. “At first, it was just a hobby with my friends and we thought it was funny. We made diss songs to other Portland schools, but the positive feedback from our friends was the first time I had ever felt really good at something.”

He went on to attend Portland State University, where he eventually dropped out to pursue music full-time.

According to the artist, he wouldn’t have pursued the industry — or have a collaboration with a popular footwear brand — if it weren’t for his high school’s radio program. As a result, he plans to donate $25,000 in college scholarships to KBPS students.

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Aminé initially teased the collaboration in mid-September with a matching billboard that read, “Three Studio Albums. Four Mixtapes. 2x Award Loser. 11x Platinum. PSU Dropout. 5 Billion Streams. Festival Founder. Hometown Hero. 2 NB Collabs. And yeah, a Benson grad.”

The “BTEE740” goes on sale on Nov. 1.

His first shoe with the brand, the yellow and brown “Mooz 610,” was released in August 2023. It sold out in just seconds.

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