Director and Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett gave fans a closer look at his world, including a rare pair of Eminem-gifted Jordan 4 Carhartts, in the latest episode of On Display by Complex.
His Chicago office is full of The Simpsons toys, ’80s-’90s memorabilia, and music treasures that tell the story of his creative journey. Among them, one item stands out: a personal gift from Eminem.
Eminem’s Gift: Jordan 4 Carhartts
“I’m not a big sneaker guy. I hardly ever wear them. I do like collecting them, though”, Cole says. “Eminem gifted me these a couple of years back”.
A note on the box reads, “Cole, thanks 4 everything!!”, with Eminem’s signature “Shady” autograph below.
However, when Cole suggested signing the shoes instead, Em refused.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no. One day you might want to sell these, and if I sign them, they’re going to be ruined’. And I was like, “I don’t really think that’s the case, but I’ll take your word on it”.
Cole laughs, remembering it.
“I’ll never sell these. These mean a lot to me, and it was a super high honour to be gifted these because, like I said, these never came out as a public release. There’s only so many”.
Creative Bond
Clearly, that moment reflects the respect between the two artists. Their first collaboration came with “Godzilla”, featuring Juice WRLD. Eminem let this video to debut on the Lyrical Lemonade channel out of respect for Juice’s legacy.
Since then, Cole has directed “GNAT” from “Music to Be Murdered By” and “Tobey” with Big Sean and BabyTron from “The Death of Slim Shady”. Eminem also dropped a verse on “Doomsday Pt. 2” for Cole’s project, “All Is Yellow”.
Evidently, the connection between them has only grown stronger, both creative and personal.
About the Show
On Display is a Complex series pop culture icons and creative pioneers open up their collections and share the stories behind them. In Cole’s case, it’s a mix of nostalgia, art, and the memories that shaped his visual world.
