Producer, radio personality, and Snapchat king DJ Khaled is well known for his lavish lifestyle and popular catchphrases. With a net worth of $65 million, he claims to be one of the hardest working men in the business, producing some of the biggest pop songs around the world and collaborating with highly esteemed artists and companies.
In 2017, Khaled added “Jordan Brand ambassador” to his resume with the release of the DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 sneaker.
Find out why this highly collectible shoe initially sold for $25,000 and why Khaled wanted to design a custom Air Jordan.
The Inspiration Behind the DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 Sneaker
Inspired by the release of his 2017 album, DJ Khaled wanted to commemorate his musical success in the form of a retro Air Jordan. The DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 Sneaker, therefore, has the same name as Khaled’s 23-track album, Grateful, which featured a wide range of artists from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Nicki Minaj and Alicia Keys.
Khaled also revealed that the shoes were meant to commemorate another important milestone in his life: the birth of his first child, Asahd.
Asahd, whose birth was infamously shared live on Snapchat by Khaled, was born in 2016. Khaled believed the name “grateful” was also fitting for this reason.
Features of the DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 “Grateful” Sneaker
The Air Jordan 3 Retro’s primary color is university red. A cement gray colorway in an elephant print lines the heel and mudguard of the shoe, while white colors the sole and red colors the midsole. In classic DJ Khaled fashion, the back of the shoe features a "we the best" logo and a pull tab with three hashtags: #GRATEFUL, #WeTheBest, and #stillinthemeeting.
The pull tag actually read a little differently when the shoe was first released. The hashtag “grateful” was misspelled as “greatful” on the shoe. Once this was corrected, the misprinted shoes increased in value because they became limited editions of the prized sneaker.
The shoe was also made to be incredibly comfortable with an air unit at the midsole, a soft interior, and a flexible tongue.
Was the Sneaker a Success?
Since DJ Khaled and Nike only released the Air Jordan 3 Grateful in limited quantities, the sneaker has become very valuable. Khaled fans in particular were extremely excited for the shoe’s release and Khaled’s subsequent releases as well, including the Jordan 3 Retro “Father of Asahd” and the Jordan 3 Retro “Another One.”
At its release, the Grateful sneaker was priced at $16,000 on the low end and a whopping $30,000 on the high end. Though it has dropped in value because of later releases and now sells for around $6,000, Khaled’s Air Jordans are still considered a collector’s item and a key commemoration of his success in life.