All Hail the Good Times, Nike Taps Into the Rhythm of Black Girlhood

“A’ja Wilson’s on top, top, top. 

Can’t take her spot, spot, spot.

She’s a real one through, through, through .

Always does what she’ll do, do, do.”

If you say it out loud, it echoes something familiar—reminiscent of “Miss Mary Mack,” a childhood handclap anthem passed through generations of Black girls on schoolyards and front stoops. That rhythmic call-and-response isn’t accidental. It's a cultural code.

Nike’s latest ad ‘One of A Kind’, directed by Malia Obama, does what few campaigns manage to do in today’s oversaturated market: it makes you feel. Beyond the product, beyond the placement—it taps into memory. A celebration of Black girlhood in its most unfiltered, radiant form. It’s the energy of hair beads clacking, sidewalk games, and the joy of being seen. The storytelling is ours.

What makes this ad exceptional isn’t just the representation—it’s the nuance. The cultural fluency. The deep knowing. It doesn’t flatten identity for a mainstream gaze; it honors it. But most importantly, it celebrates and elevates the beauty and experience of growing up as a Black girl.

At a time when brand content feels increasingly templated, ‘One of A Kind’ reminds us – nostalgia can be revolutionary. It’s not just a marketing device; it’s a reminder of where we come from, and how culture moves through time.

The lesson is clear: representation without resonance is noise. But when you embed memory, meaning, and emotional truth, you create something more than content—you create connection.

My inner Black girl was comforted. Talk about evoking emotion!