Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah
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For years, we all thought grail-level sneakers would be out of reach unless we hit the lottery, but reality is sometimes stranger than fiction. Jordan Brand opened the vault in the 2020s and brought back some kicks that were going for tens of thousands of dollars, most notably the Undefeated x Air Jordan 4.
That Undefeated collab was the first instance of Jordan Brand collabing with an outside partner, and while the original release in 2005 was limited to just 72 pairs, the 2025 retro was much more widely available. Again, Jordan Brand is digging into the archives and bringing a sneaker to retail that most have only seen online, or at most, through a glass box, as the Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore is expected to hit shelves in 2027.
Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore 2027 Details
Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore (mock-up)
Image for reference only. Final product may differ.
According to zSneakerHeadz, this new release for the Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore will look slightly different from the version that was originally created in 2005. The blue suede upper covering most of the sneaker remains, but instead of red accents on the Jumpman on the tongue and heel tab and the Eminem tag on the inside of the tongue, there will be purple hits. Aside from that, the retro will be faithful to the OG, including clear wing eyelets, black hits on the laces, the base below the blue netting, the wing support structure, and grey on the heel tab. Down below sits a black, grey, and white midsole.
Eminem’s Air Jordan 4 History
Eminem first collaborated with Jordan Brand back in 2005 on the AJ 4 in this Encore colorway, which was created to celebrate his fifth studio album, Encore. Only around 50 pairs were made and given to friends and family of Slim Shady, but in 2017, Jordan Brand made 23 more pairs and released them via a StockX charity auction. In between the “re-release” of the shoe, Em would work with Jordan Brand on a Jordan 2, limited to 313 pairs and released via Air Jordan Flight Club, and a Jordan 4 Carhartt that was sold via charity auction. That Carhartt collab is also ultra-limited, as only 10 pairs hit the auction block with another 30-40 estimated to be given to friends and family.
But did you know that Em’s AJ 4 Encore actually has a connection to the aforementioned Undefeated Jordan 4? When then-Nike co-president Mark Parker and legendary designer Tinker Hatfield strolled down La Brea and into Undefeated in 2005, they asked the crew what they would do if they could create a collab AJ 4. Undefeated co-founder Eddie Cruz said he’d take inspiration from his BlackBerry 7230. A month later, a blue AJ 4 would make its way to the shop.
Undefeated Air Jordan 4 OG sample (left) and the version that would make it to retail (right) in 2005
The story of what happened next isn’t exactly clear, as there are different versions according to who you ask. Some say that it just so happened that Eminem created a similar colorway, others say Em saw the sample on a trip to Nike HQ and loved it so much that The Swoosh asked Undefeated if they could design another colorway so they could give it to Shady. But during an interview with Complex in 2025, James Bond (not the one you’re thinking of, another co-founder of Undefeated) spoke on the topic alongside Chris Gibbs. Chris was being coy and said, “Are we allowed to talk about that?” Bond would then say, “Throughout a kind of back and forth and different samplings, I think things come to life, and there might be some truth to it.”
Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore 2027 Release Info
The Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore is reportedly releasing on May 15, 2027, though exactly how and how available it will be hasn’t been made clear. If Jordan Brand and Em go the Undefeated route, they might make it available through an exclusive drop and not send pairs to retailers, but we’ll all just have to wait and find out. Retail is expected to be $230. For real-time updates on the Eminem x Air Jordan 4 Retro Encore, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Image for reference only. Final product may differ.
