J Cole sports Air Jordan 1- "Chicago" during 2014 Forest Hills Drive Anniversary MSG sellout

It has definitely been an interesting 2024 for rap superstar J Cole. From starting the year off with a hot rollout of a new project, Might Delete Later, to Kendrick Lamar making his name heard in the direct lane that Cole is in, to the release of said project, a diss directed back to Kendrick, and days later an apology and removal of the diss from streaming services during Cole's own Dreamville Festival, all the way until present day where fans were treated to a celebration of Cole's beloved 2014 classic album 2014 Forest Hills Drive live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, it has been a wild ride.

J Cole has been pretty radio silent as far as what has been up his sleeve since the apology, and as far as what he has been up to, fans have gotten official streaming releases of some of Cole's vintage mixtapes to accompany his audio documentary experience that has been recounting his career step by step which was recorded back in 2022. This concert has been the first time J Cole has "popped out" if you will, no pun intended, by allowing fans to get a glimpse at the album that some might credit the explosion of Cole's career and the rocket ship that got strapped to his back as he landed himself in the big 3 of current hip hop.

As Cole took the stage at MSG, he sported a pair of Air Jordan 1 "Chicago" sneakers which was indeed a sneaker that he would wear during the original Forest Hills Drive Tour a decade ago. Cole still has the knack for footwear displaying a true classic on feet for an incredible performance, running through the entire album as well as some classic tracks from those newly uploaded mixtapes.

With J Cole hinting that the end of his career is on the horizon, marketing the upcoming Dreamville Festival in April to be the last, it will be interesting to see the direction the artist takes next. It is known he is not afraid to get creative as he has displayed his love for sneaker fashion as recently as this year with the 'Dreamer' sneakers, one has to wonder if Cole might dabble in more sneaker collabs or marketing in the sneaker world once retirement hits. As a fan, I hope that day is not as soon as he alludes.