Darren Griffin
Air Jordan 4 Black/Red
“I like to consider myself a “deep cuts” kind of guy. I tend to liken my affection for sneakers with that of my penchant for obscure music. Typically I’m looking for the song no one else is checking for, with a sound few have an ear to stomach. But when it comes to my all-time favorite Black Friday sneaker release, it’s sadly similar to a pop single that received heavy radio spins and sold 10 million maxi singles like Nelly’s “Country Grammar” or something like that.
There’s no way I can go with anything other than the Air Jordan 4 Black/Red. By my estimation, it’s one of the best shoes ever made and it’s not even close. The look and feel of the shoe, as far as I’m concerned, represents every single reason why I love Air Jordans. I’d gotten a few pairs growing up, typically by pooling my money from cutting lawns with birthday cash from my mom and uncles. Yet 2012 would be my first opportunity to score the Black/Red 4’s.
I was home in Houston, Texas that week and one of my best friends had a connect at the Champs in the Galleria. We got there early, walked past the line-up, tossed the connect an extra $50 a piece and grabbed our shoes, which were both marked with our names on the boxes. It was one of those moments that we felt really, really cool. In retrospect, though, seeing as how our shoes weren’t going anywhere being that they were labeled and all, we probably should have just waited in line instead of trying to appear “cooler” than we actually were.”
