Really, was there ever any question what sneaker would be taking out the top honours this week? After years of praying and pleading, the OG Air Jordan IV ‘Black/Cement’ (or ‘Bred’ as Jordan Brand are calling it this time around) is finally back – and this latest retro well and truly lives up to the hype!
Air Jordan IVAir Jordan 4 Retro has returned to its original glory
Now, I doubt you need us to tell you what makes this Jordan so significant, but here’s a little refresher, just in case. Released in 1989 and designed by design maestro Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan IV expanded upon the concept of Visible Air set by its predecessor, the Air Jordan III. It ditched the IIIs signature ‘elephant’ print and introduced sidewall netting, stitched ‘Flight’ tongue tags and, perhaps it’s most defining features, ‘wings’. The AJIV was a star, both on and off the court. The ‘Black Cement’ IVs were on MJ’s feet when he was famously captured taking ‘The Shot’ up against the Cavs and their white counterpart served as the catalyst behind one of the most memorable scenes in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.
Like all legendary Jays, the ‘Black/Cement’ IVs have seen a number of retros over the years, the last of which was all the way back in 2012. However, unlike other classics – such as the ‘Bred’ Is, ‘Black/Cement’ IIIs and ‘Infrared’ VIs – a proper ‘Nike Air’ branded retro of the most beloved of all IVs has sorely been missing since the last millennium. The last time we saw the ‘Black/Cement’ IV don the Swoosh was all the way back in 1999… and those pairs passed their use-by date many years ago!
This year’s retro brings back the dark horse of the Air Jordan IV lineup in near-perfect fashion. As with almost any retro, there are some slight differences from the original, though almost all of which you’d be hard-pressed to notice without an ‘89 OG in hand. Still, there’s no denying that this is the most accurate retro of the ‘Black/Cement’ that Jordan Brand have delivered since 1999 and is the only version that’s still wearable to feature the original ‘Nike Air’ branding. These are an absolute must-cop.
The Air Jordan IV ‘Bred’ is available right now – both in store and our jordan online store – but you better act fast if you want to secure these for your collection. Who knows, it might be another 20 years before we get a retro this good again!