Cancelled: Eminem x Air Jordan 4 "Encore" (Blue/Purple)

The Eminem x Air Jordan 4 “Encore” is no longer expected to hit retail as planned.

According to reports, the colorway has been pulled from upcoming release calendars and delayed indefinitely, leaving one of Jordan Brand’s rarest collaborations without a confirmed drop date. The original friends-and-family pair remains a grail, and for now the long-awaited public release stays on hold.

Original Story: Yes, you read the title correctly: the Eminem x Air Jordan 4 "Encore" collaboration from 2005 is set to release on May 15, 2027 in an updated "Blue Ribbon/Game Purple" color scheme.

The news arrives by way of X user @zSneakerHeadz and Sneaker Files, and continues a trend of NIKE, Inc. opening up the vault to re-release some of sneaker history's most-coveted and mythical pairs.

If you're unfamiliar with Eminem's blue-colored Air Jordan 4 from the mid-2000s, you can read our retrospective on the pair—which almost went down as Jordan Brand's first collaboration ever.

The original "Encore" sneaker features a "Blue Ribbon/Varsity Red/Stealth/Black" color scheme and was limited to just 50 pairs. Only Friends & Family of Marshall Bruce Mathers III were gifted the Air Jordan developed to honor the rapper's fifth studio album, Encore.

According to initial reports, the only detail that'll differ between the 2005 "Encore" Air Jordan 4 and the 2027 "Encore" retro designs is that red-colored accents are now purple. This means Jumpman logos and the upside-down "EMINEM" tag behind the tongue are "Game Purple" instead of "Varsity Red."

The '27 collaboration between Eminem and Jordan Brand won't be the first time the duo has revisited the '05 pair. In 2017, the Detroit-representative and Team Jumpman made 23 pairs of an updated blue AJ4 retro to commemorate Em's ninth studio album, Revival. The sneaker launched via a raffle on StockX; funds benefitted charity, as has been the case with many shoe-related initiatives by the artist.

When compared to other Jordan Brand collaborators, Eminem might not be the most stylish or fashionable, but his impact and influence has endured the test of time. Plus, he's genuinely friends with Michael Jordan.

Specific release details have yet to be confirmed by Team Jumpman, but all signs currently point to Saturday, May 15, 2027, being the first time the public will have a chance to buy a piece of Em's Air Jordan collaboration history as it would other Jordan releases—that is, for an MSRP of around $225 and via Nike.com/Jordan.

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