let’s celebrate the Dreamer Indie 5000

J. Cole has been a constant feature lately in the Omens.

I have to celebrate the release of his own show, which he created independently: the Dreamer Indie 5000.

I’ve been waiting for this shoe since he teased it a couple of years ago; I have a pair of his first shoes he did with Puma—next time you watch an episode of the AlignedLife Podcast, pay attention to the background, and you’ll see them sitting in the top-left corner of the shelves—and I will have a pair of the Indie 5000.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to wait in line to get a pair, and while I’m disappointed I have to wait until the release them online, I think it was pretty cool how he had the release in Fayetteville (his hometown) when he was in town for the final show in his U.S. Tour. During his concert, he made it very clear that he is proud to be from the small town, and he wants to do his part to not only represent it, but make it better—I read that the plan for Cole’s shoe is to be manufactured in Fayetteville.

Earlier this year, when The Fall-Off album dropped, Cole spent time going from city to city, interacting with his fans, selling CDs out of the trunk of his old Civic, and making his Self available to them. It was no surprise to see him at the shoe release, interacting with fans, signing autographs, taking pictures, and just being present. And if you’ve seen any videos from his tour, you know the show is very fan-inclusive as well—from the start with him in the crowd, to walking and shaking hands while rapping, the bar-for-bar segment with his Johnny P’s Caddy verse.

Watching all of this unfold has been a massive inspiration for me—my “why not me” mantra was born at the second-night show in Chicago that I was at. I love seeing people have a vision—one that seems delusional or irrational and execute on it. If Cole can create his own shoe, then my delusional ideas are possible too.

So I want to celebrate the Dreamer Indie 5000 release because of what it represents to me!

J. Cole was already in my top 3, sitting at #2, but after the tour, the Indie 5000, and seeing how “real” he is, I’ve bumped him to #1 as my favorite rapper.

Keep pursuing,

JC