Cole World: J. Cole’s New Indie 5000 Sneaker is Dropping Soon

J. Cole got it out the trunk, and no matter how many tours he sells out or charts he climbs, he’s still driving his Honda Civic through North Carolina, slinging CDs out of the trunk to keep the feeling alive. So it’s only right that Cole wants to get in on the sneaker game via his own imprint. Instead of going the traditional collab route, like he has done in the past, J. Cole’s Indie 5000 is an independent initiative, adding a new look to the footwear and music industry.

While this marks Cole’s first independent endeavor in sneakers, he was previously in a multi-year partnership with Puma. The two announced the deal in February 2020, and in July of that year, they dropped the RS-Dreamer, Cole’s signature sneaker. It was positioned as a performance basketball shoe that doubled as a lifestyle sneaker, though the model never really caught on in either space. The RS-Dreamer 2 was released in 2021, but after a handful of colorways, nothing more came of the partnership.

Cole announced his departure from Puma in 2024 to start his own independent brand, and now, following the release of his latest album, The Fall Off, we’re inching closer to an actual launch.

J. Cole’s Indie 5000 sneaker was made by Cole in partnership with a handpicked team of Italian designers. The shoe is a bulky cupsole silhouette, like a late ‘90s basketball shoe, complete with jagged patterns running up the midsole and down from the lace pattern. The rest of the shoe is covered in soft blue, silver, and white fabric with textured striping on the toebox and side panels.

“Appreciate the love, and Indie 5000 is ready to go! We made them independently, been working on them for 4 years. Designed them with some Italian designers I work with. They are finished, manufactured, and ready to go,” Cole said about the shoes in an AMA on his Inevitable website. “We have a small mistake on the boxes, so right now it's either get all the boxes reproduced, or embrace the mistake and put them out. Either way. They will be on sale soon. Appreciate it.”

The J. Cole Indie 5000 sneaker doesn’t have a release date or retail price just yet, but expect them to be extremely limited and, considering Cole’s fan base, highly sought after. To keep up with all the latest independent sneaker releases and find out exactly when Cole is dropping his new Indie 5000s, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com