Based on the sequence of his releases thus far, the Air Jordan 4 should be next up in the series of J Balvin collaborations. But before that happens, the “Prince of Reggaeton” commissioned a pair of custom Air Jordan 4s to match the cover for his latest album, “Rayo.”
J Balvin‘s Air Jordan 4 “Rayo” customs were made by Andrew Chiou, a sneaker customizer with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram who formerly worked as a designer of art direction at Jordan Brand. Chrome-like detailing appears throughout the sneaker to match the Lamborghini door Volkswagen Golf on the “Rayo” cover, including the model’s signature eyelet wings, mustache and heel counter. The sneaker otherwise sports a white leather upper, while the midsole has been rendered in beige.
Chiou, known as Andu.c, made his customizations on an authentic pair of the Air Jordan 4 “Military Black,” which released in 2022 as a nod to the original “Military Blue” colorway from 2019.
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“Rayo” is named after J Balvin’s red Volkswagen Golf that he drove early on in his career in Medellín, Colombia.
J Balvin’s last official Jordan Brand collaboration consisted of two Air Jordan 3 colorways with gradient accents that released nearly a year ago and then in May. For the more recent black “Rio” edition, the Colombian artist implemented an anti-bot measure on his website that charged $25,000 for the sneaker to those who failed to enter two discount codes while checking out.
Jordan Brand began its partnership with J Balvin in 2020 by releasing an Air Jordan 1 take with a rainbow canvas upper and jagged edges debuted by him during the Super Bowl LIV half time show. A cloud-themed Air Jordan 2 then came in 2022, and chances are we won’t see J Balvin’s next Air Jordan sneaker until 2025.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
