Kendrick Lamar used the cover art from an eBay ad of an Arkansas couple

North Little Rock, Arkansas – Hip-hop fans were alerted on September 11 when Kendrick Lamar posted a brand-new song to his Instagram.

The 17-time Grammy winner, who will shortly be the main attraction at Super Bowl LIX, had not recorded a song since his fight with Drake. The cover image for the five-minute untitled tune showed a pair of black Nike Air Force 1s.

Internet detectives soon discovered that the sneakers originated from a North Little Rock-based eBay listing from an account known as “Good2BYou.”

Billy Lingo and Darla Wilson, who have been together for 20 years, are the owners of that account and have been managing it since 2021.

Wilson, the initial photographer that Lamar used, gave a description of what happened.

“Oh, great,” I thought after selling the shoes. Wilson remarked, “I sold a pair of shoes.” “I’ve got them boxed up, printed the label, and all of a sudden, my phone was blowing up.”

Other eBay users informed them that their sneakers were now a part of hip-hop history, having been swiftly snapped up for $70 despite receiving no interest since being advertised in June 2023.

“Do you know who Kendrick Lamar is?” they asked. Regarding the texts the couple got, Lingo stated. “Yes, I am reading the emails,” I replied. You’re on his cover page, they said. Many congratulations! Blah, blah, blah. “How do I see this?” I asked. Where is it located? I went to Instagram after they told me about it, and there they were.

The pair said that they are not related to Lamar and that it was entirely unexpected for him to use their picture.

“I’m not going to lie to you; I didn’t know a whole lot about him,” Lingo replied. “I knew who he was… my son had told me about him, and my daughter had told me about him, but I really know about him now.”

When the couple realized what was going on, they decided to cancel the original $70 transaction. Now, they’re attempting to sell the shoes through an auction, with a $5,000 starting price and a $75,000 buy-now price.

Wilson remarked, “Remember that Billy is the owner of the shoes.” “Yeah, you should cancel those shoes,” he replied. After spending roughly two days conducting research and speaking with a few people, we made the decision to hold an auction.

Since they had never seen a circumstance such to this one, they claimed they were unsure of how much to charge for the shoes.

The pair said they could adjust the pricing and give it another shot if the shoes, which Lingo said he “either bought at a thrift store… or a yard sale,” don’t sell.

“An opportunity was presented to us,” Billy remarked. You know, I’m not a greedy person. I have the option to purchase it now for $75,000, and while I know that’s unlikely to happen, it’s still possible.”

The couple added that they intended to sell t-shirts because they are the owners of the image. Lingo has one already.

With more than three million likes and 120,000 comments since its debut, Kendrick Lamar’s song has attracted a lot of attention.

After his shoes were viewed by millions of people, Lingo declared, “These things will happen.” “It’s just so arbitrary.”