Welcome back to The Vault°, our weekly look at the artifacts, moments, and untold stories that shaped the culture.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III—best known across the globe as “Eminem”—is synonymous with some of the rarest Air Jordan sneakers of all-time. The award-winning, multi-platinum-selling artist surely has more projects with “His Airness” under wraps, but, savvy footwear fans might be wondering when “Slim Shady” will release another Nike Air Max project.
Before Eminem worked on his “Encore” Air Jordan 4, which almost went down as the first-ever Air Jordan collaboration, the Detroit-representative lent his creative vision to the more obscure Air Max Burst. Part of an “Artist Series” initiative by Nike, the pair kicked off what’s been a fruitful partnership between Mathers and the Swoosh conglomerate—one that’s produced at least 15 proper collaborative styles (more if you include samples and one-offs).
In celebration of the “Motor City”‘s unofficial “313 Day” (March 13) and on-going coverage of visible Air cushioning for Nike’s Air Max Month, we’ve put together a brief chronicle of Eminem’s Air Max collabs thus far. Many pairs featured were extremely limited upon their “release,” with most being exclusive to Friends & Family of the artist, promotional items, or lots for charity auctions.
In any case, you can check out Nike.com, as well as after-market platforms KICKS CREW and StockX, to pick up Air Max footwear if Em’s design history inspires you.