Drake, NOCTA, and speculation go together like the layers of a cheesecake. Which is which, is down to you to decide, but at the end of it all is a star that knows how to utilize their marketing potential to the fullest.
If you've kept up with NOCTA since its debut release – which saw Drake's Nike-backed venture take over billboards across London, Toronto, and New York – you'll be all too familiar with the strategy utilized in promoting newer products. First, Champagne wears a piece, typically a pair of sneakers sitting courtside at a basketball game or conveniently poking out of a car door.
The next step is sneaker sites, leakers, and everyone in between picking up exclusive pairs or pics, stirring the pot to drum up speculation as to when (if at all) said products might be dropping.
Once these rumors have had a chance to fester, a period of silence follows before official images and then a star-studded Instagram ad campaign. That's precisely how things went down with the first Nike x NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra release, fronted by Popcaan and Unruly.
Now, for the release of the long-awaited yellow-on-black version of the divisive silhouette, Lil Yatchy steps up as the latest musical NOCTA alumnus.
The colorway, which has proven just as opinion-splitting as the first couple of monochrome finishes, is essentially an updated take on the blacked-out Hot Step, albeit with touches of "Gold" at the heel, outsole, and Swoosh branding on the toebox and sides.
With the arrival of these images featuring Lil Yatchy, the sneaker's official release date has finally been revealed as September 16. As is standard, the launch will go down via NOCTA and Nike SNKRS.
