As long as the wait may have seemed for Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, anticipation for The Boy’s first original Nike sneaker has gone on even longer. The mysterious silhouette first appeared in his “Laugh Now Cry Later” video back in 2020, which was something of a field trip to the Nike campus, and now it’s at last slated for a release.
Dubbed the NOCTA Hot Step, the low-top sneaker is coming in Triple White and Triple Black color schemes on March 3. It’s the first sneaker released under Drake’s Nike NOCTA line, which has previously seen several apparel capsules, and follows multiple OVO x Air Jordan collaborations over the past seven years.
Striped paneling defines the NOCTA Hot Step’s sleek upper, with reflective 3M detailing coming through in perforated dots, the tongue, and the mustache. The shoe takes inspiration from Nike’s Air Terra line and features G-TEK traction technology pulled from the Air Terra Humara, a trail-running sneaker originally released in 1999. When the NOCTA Hot Step isn’t under the lights, it also gets a bit of luster through small metallic accents that include a tiny silver Swoosh on the upper.
Part of a lover boy’s uniform —
Drake’s first original sneaker may not be as showy as other musicians’ signature shoes, but it does fall in line with his casual sporty aesthetic. The NOCTA Hot Step is super clean in both its black and white versions and should be easy to adopt in a wide range of wardrobe aesthetics.
Branding is kept to a relative minimum, and the highlight may just be a series of tiny embossed Swooshes that appear across the midsole’s medial arch. The triple cross motif from NOCTA also sees a return on the tongue and insole, while Drake’s name is nowhere to be seen on the sneaker. Completing the marks is the retro G-TEK on the heel and again on the outsole with the technology that bares its name.
Both versions of the sneaker are scheduled to release on March 3 through NOCTA’s website and select Nike retailers for $180. With the strength of Drake’s legion of fans, expect plenty of competition and for the NOCTA Hot Step to be one of the most sought-after sneakers of the year.
