Upon their sales to the public prices for the Air Force One shoes ranged from $70 to $80 retail for the standard white or black Nike Air Force One and up to $300 for customized colors and logos. Almost instantly this also created a market for wholesale Nike Air Force Ones, but that market was harder to maintain in competition with the larger stores carrying the retail marketing power and recognition. Corresponding with the release and early popularity of the Nike Air Force One line was the revolution of the Hip Hop movement and the growing trend of Hip Hop clothing. Hip-hop fashion began to gain momentum in the late seventies and continued to survive as a unique culture and fashion through out the early eighties. Marked by clothing with an African American influence, early Hip Hop fashion included the wearing of large glasses, gold necklaces and rings, oversized loose fitting clothing in pallets of black, red and green and an emphasis on brand name footwear, Nike, Addidas that was comfortable and reflective of personal style, often with oversized laces.

Within the Hip Hop fashion culture Nike Air Force One shoes became very popular almost immediately. Bright colored with over sized laces, which were often left untied, or as white sneakers peaking out from under overlong pants Nike Air Force Ones maintained their hold on the Hip Hop market through the late eighties, nineties and continue to hold a strong place beyond the year 2000. They have become a much more casual wear shoe, seen just about everywhere, not only the basketball court. Currently many top of the market shoe stores sell the Nike Air Force Ones at retail, leaving wholesale Nike Air Force Ones for outlet stores, prices ranging from $70 to over $300, averaging out around $100. In order to combat these prices and take a share of the wholesale Nike Air Force One market online websites such as urbanhotlist.com have appeared.