Kanye's Yeezy Boost 350 Black Is Back

"The Kanye West hype train just won't quit. His album, The Life of Pablo, is finally out (kind of), and West's Twitter feed continues to be an entertaining (if often dubious, sometimes troubling) look into the rapper's never-a-dull-moment life. And this is all on top of the buzz around his (still) widely coveted clothing line and sneaker collaboration with Adidas. Next stop: Friday's re-release of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Black, which originally dropped last August.

While this announcement should feel like Christmas morning for the masses who missed out on snagging a pair the first go-around, it looks these Yeezys are still going to be hard to come by. Despite Kanye's intentions to make the sneakers available to a wider audience, something he even brought up at last week's Season 3 fashion show, the only big box stores that will be carrying them are Finish Line, Foot Locker, and Champs. And you can only claim a pair at those stores through raffles you either already had to wait in line to get or should be currently in line to get. And, as of right now, no independent boutiques in the U.S are set to stock them.

So, here's your best bet to actually, maybe wind up the proud owner of a pair (and the bragging rights that come with it)—if you're willing to: First, enter Kicks USA's raffle here. (You don't even have to stand up or put on pants to do it!) Then, download Adidas's Confirmed app, which will open reservations for the sneakers on Thursday for customers in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Make sure push notifications are set to on, as the kicks will sell out within minutes. Additionally, check adidas.com/kanye on Friday repeatedly, as the shoes will drop at an unexpected time. (Though every preceding release seemingly has dropped between 11AM and 12PM.)

Much like The Life of Pablo rollout, the Yeezy sneaker releases have been flawed and thus, extremely frustrating. There's never going to be a sneaker release that makes everyone happy, but there has to be a more civil approach. The status quo of forcing thousands of fans to stab their touch screens in the panicked hope that they might be able to add a sneaker to their virtual cart isn't great for anyone. Adidas seems to know it with this latest streamlined style of release, so here's hoping things continue in that trajectory. That said, the task at hand is still this week's re-release, so good luck everyone, and as always, may Yeezus (er, Pablo) have mercy on your soul.

Update: Adidas surprised everyone by opening reservations on the Confirmed app today. In other words, your last chance is on adidas.com/kanye on Friday."

Written By Jack Woolf for GQ