From the Vault: Eminem x Air Jordan 2 “The Way I Am”
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By Stadium Goods |
From the Vault: Eminem x Air Jordan 2 “The Way I Am”
Highlighting the rare collaboration on Eminem’s 50th birthday.
Matt DeSciora
A lot of people get a lot of credit for doing a lot of things. But for some reason, Eminem doesn’t receive as much praise as he should for being a multi-hyphenate in the entertainment industry. In addition to rapping and acting, the Grammy winning recording artist also designed sneakers with Nike and Jordan Brand throughout the 2000s and 2010s. One of the shoes he co-created, in fact, the Air Jordan 2 “The Way I Am,” was used to help promote another one of Em’s ventures back in the day: authoring a book.
Eminem x Air Jordan 2 “The Way I Am”
Released in December 2008, the Jordan 2 “The Way I Am” celebrates Eminem’s song and book of the same name. Its black, white, and red color scheme may bring to mind images of the Chicago Bulls, but “The Way I Am” actually honors Detroit, and features lyrics from Em’s “The Way I Am” on its design. The shoe is special for a few other reasons, too.
The Jordan 2 was Eminem’s favorite Air Jordan shoe, which makes him a trendsetter, of sorts. In the last ten years or so, the likes of Off-White, Union, Just Don, Nina Chanel Abney, and Vashtie Kola, to name a few, have all collaborated on the retro basketball shoe. Em, though, created his own version of the Jordan 2 well before anyone else.
Among Eminem’s Nike and Jordan collaborations, the Jordan 2 “The Way I Am” is one of the few to actually receive a retail release, albeit one that was done so exclusively through Jordan Brand’s former Air Jordan Flight Club website. A rumored 313 pairs are in existence, to honor Em’s hometown of Detroit (313 is Detroit’s area code). Little else is known about the shoe, but that’s only helped its mystic.