If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hand sanitizer and electric toothbrush. We spoke with dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss — who recently partnered with Mucinex to choreograph a dance for its #BeatTheZombieFunk TikTok challenge — about the sneakers, hat, and candy he can’t live without.
Every street dancer has their shoes; krumpers, for example, prefer a much heavier shoe, like a combat boot or Timberlands, because it grounds them. Other dancers in the style of the Kinjaz are really into Flyknit shoes, like Yeezys, because those allow their footwork to be incredibly fast since they’re so light. Personally, I like a mid-weight shoe. Air Jordan 1s were basically the first stylish street sneaker, and now they’re a classic. I have about 20-something different Jordans — and probably 200 pairs of sneakers total. There are a lot I haven’t worn yet because I’m keeping them on ice for a special moment, or to pass on to my son when he’s of age. I’m praying he has a size-13 foot. My wife and I were recently battling because I was telling her that she definitely has more in the closet than I do, and she was like, “Well, what about the ones you have in storage?” And I was like, “Oh, yeah. You might be right.”
To me, this is more preferable than coffee. A lot of people say they get jittery on it, but I don’t. I just feel incredibly alert. I can drink one, and I’m good for the day — I don’t have to keep refueling, whereas with coffee, I definitely have to. I take it on the weekend if I’m teaching dance all day, and during the week if I have an early-morning call time.
Even if no one can see them, wearing cool socks completes my look, especially when I’m dancing. My favorite pair are these Stance Wu-Tang socks in the classic black and yellow. Sometimes I’m the only one that knows that I have them on, but they give me a little extra confidence — like, I’ve got these dope socks on, I’m ready to go. I’ve been wearing them for about six years now. They are actually really great, quality socks.
I started with Stance socks six years ago and am still wearing them, so I had to get some of its underwear. At first I was like, Wait a minute — this is a sock company. Will the underwear be any good? Listen: It is like the greatest underwear that I’ve ever worn. I sound like a commercial, but I promise you, this is coming from the heart. It’s just so cool how Stance takes the time to design it — there are very few others flexing creation on men’s underwear. I wear festive pairs every day, but no one knows; the only person really seeing the designs besides me is my wife. But like my socks, the underwear is just for me. It’s a subconscious thing that makes me happy.
I’m the DJ for the Ellen Show, but when I say DJ, I’m using air quotes, since I’m more of an entertainer than a traditional DJ. But my MacBook is something I definitely need for my job. I’m constantly on the computer looking for music, mixing music, and looking for the clean versions of songs, you know, for the kids. Right now I’m really into this guy D Smoke, who won the Netflix show Rhythm + Flow, which is almost like a hip-hop version of American Idol. And I love Jhené Aiko and Lil Uzi Vert. I also start every morning by listening to Stevie Wonder. But I like anything that makes me want to get up and dance, which is most music.
Strawberry Twizzlers make me happy. They always have. When I was a kid, I used to go to the movies with my mom every weekend, and I always had strawberry Twizzlers. A lot of people have their vices: Some prefer M&M’s and some love anything super-sugary, but mine is hands down strawberry Twizzlers. Typically, it’s an “if I see them, I get them” kind of thing. My wife is very into holidays, so when Easter or Halloween come around, we’ve got the candy stacked in the house. I’m not ashamed to say that sometimes I’ll eat a whole bag by myself. It’s bad.
Using baby oil is something I’ve been doing since high school; I picked it up from my mom. Literally as soon as I’m fresh out of the shower — before I even dry off — I get all baby-oiled up. Without it, my skin gets mad dry, and sometimes I’ll be ashy. It’s kind of nostalgic to me, but also it works really well and it’s what I know. And I like the smell of it. I’m starting to implement it into my kids’ routines, too.
For my beard, I’ll typically use a little bit of an olive-oil spray (but sparingly, because it sometimes dries my beard out) and then I’ll follow up with a comb. I use an Afro pick with a black fist at the end and a peace sign in the middle. It’s actually a big staple in black culture. I usually comb my beard when I’m fresh out of the shower. The width of the pick is good, and I’ve also started to use it on my son’s hair, too. I’m looking for a better beard oil, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to hit me up.
Obviously, everyone has seen the hats that Pharrell and other celebrities wear that always make the news. I started noticing something about those hats: There is a trademark matchstick on them. So I started connecting the dots and finally tracked down who it was: Nick Fouquet. I thought, If there’s somebody paying that much attention and putting that much passion into making hats, I definitely want to go get one. The process of making a custom hat with Nick is incredible because you go and sit with him and create it together. You go through all of the fabrics and really interesting shapes and discuss how it’s going to sit after it’s worn in. It was seriously a groundbreaking experience for me. Mine is a big-brimmed, deep-purple hat with a round top like a bowler. But Nick has plenty that you can buy ready-made that also have a lot of unique touches.
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